There's Always You and Me
by Lukas Avier
Summary: "We're the same- you and me- and I think that's why we fit so well together." "Like two pieces of the same puzzle that we've finally found a place for." "That... Was probably the most cheesiest thing you could have ever said." "Yeah, let's just pretend that didn't happen. Deal?" "Deal." Rated T for now. WARNING: M/M
1. Chapter 1

**I want you guys to note that I have just started Vampire Diaries and am only on season 1 so this will be based around the first season. If any of the characters of VD are out of character, I apologize. I know Percy is going to be OOC but the reason for that will be revealed in later chapters.**

 **Anyways, hope you all enjoy the first chapter!**

 **-Jones**

* * *

It was quiet in Mystic Falls and that was probably the thing that should have tipped Stefan off first.

Being back after so many years should have told him that he wasn't going to be able to have the normal life he always wanted. Resisting blood was hard. Resisting Elena's was harder.

Damon arriving should have told him that his life was going to be a living hell. Yup, an eternity of misery, alright.

When talk came of a new kid in Mystic High, Stefan actually felt afraid for the person. Who knew if they were going to become chow for his brother?

They didn't even know what they were getting into.

They guy was tall and had black hair and almost reminded him of Damon with the way he smirked. Both had bright eyes, though different colors, and both were excessively handsome to a point where you had to avert your eyes (or so Caroline said). He seemed nice enough but Stefan couldn't help but notice how Bonnie tensed when they shook hands. Elena told him that was when she got this "bad feeling". He'd have to watch him.

"So, I heard there's a newbie at your school."

Stefan closed his notebook and looked up at his brother, glaring slightly at him, "Don't even think about it."

"What? I didn't do anything," Damon rolled his eyes but he was smirking. "Come on, Stefan, I just want to know about your high school and the people there. Are they as nice and tasty looking as they sound?"

"You're horrible," Stefan stood, making sure he held his notebook tightly as he walked past his brother. "Why can't you just stop?"

"Because I'm a _vampire_ , Little Brother, and I feed on _humans_ like a _normal_ one. I guess _you_ wouldn't understand since you're so busy catching _Bambi_."

"Are you really that much of a monster?" The younger Salvatore turned to face Damon, his eyebrows furrowed, "Are you that much of a monster that you have to feed on innocent people- people who've done nothing to you?"

"It's what I do, Stefan. They are meant to be my food because I'm not some punk-ass like you and feed on animal blood!"

"I thought so," The brunette shook his head. "Goodbye, Damon."

"Whatever, Stefan! You can't runaway from who you are!"

* * *

"Have you seen the new kid?" Caroline grinned at Elena, eyes alight with something mischievous.

The brunette turned to her friend, "No…? Why? Oh, gosh, you're going to torture them, aren't you?"

"Mm, no, not necessarily…" The blonde tapped her chin, "At least, not right now…"

"Leave the guy alone, Care," Elena rolled her eyes. "Come on, I gotta go, I'm going to be late for class."

When the girl entered her classroom, there was a teenager talking with her history teacher, showing him a paper. He seemed at ease talking to him while the man looked like he was getting more annoyed by the second. Finally, the teacher pointed to a desk in the back and the teen gave him, what looked like, a mock salute.

The raven-haired boy turned around and Elena could have sworn he reminded her of Stefan's brother Damon. They had the same smirk and the same look in their eyes like they were going to fuck you up in the worst way possible for you and the best for them. The guy just waved at her and winked at Stefan, an action that was something she had seen Damon do a few times.

Elena shook her head, moving to sit at her desk next to her boyfriend. She had almost forgotten about the new kid until she felt a tap on her shoulder. When she turned around, he was grinning at her like he had just told the funniest joke, "Yes?"

"Do you have a pen I can borrow?" He held up a ballpoint pen, "Mine ran out of ink."

"Oh, sure," She went through her bag until she came across one, handing it over.

"Thanks," He smiled, twirling it into his hand like he had done it a million times. "I'm Percy. Nice to meet you."

"Elena. Nice to meet you, too, Percy."

* * *

When class ended, Elena went to turn around to ask the new kid, Percy, if he needed help walking around the school when she saw him talking with Stefan by the door. How the two got there so fast when the bell had just rung, she would never know. Percy seemed to be asking something, gesturing around and holding up a paper. Her boyfriend smiled, pointing down the hall and saying something.

"He was asking where his next class was," Stefan answered before she could ask. "I think he has a class with your brother. Jeremy, right?"

"Yeah," She nodded and walked out with him, looking down the hall for any sight of her brother. When she was about to give up, she could see him talking to Percy, looking annoyed and ashamed for some reason. Then, she saw how the new kid's body seemed to be covering something with his body and she immediately knew. Before she could do anything, Percy seemed to sense her looking and glanced up, offering her an easygoing smile, and she relaxed.

* * *

Jeremy was dealing again.

He didn't think he ever had stopped.

There was a satisfaction that he felt when people came to him, just as broken as he was, and they shared the one thing that made them feel better than they had ever felt in their lives. It didn't matter how many people got angry at him, how many times Tyler called him a pill-pusher.

This was the only way he knew how to live- the only way he knew how to feel alive.

"Here, take thi-" He was stopped when someone came up behind him and leaned forward so his head was hovering right over his shoulder.

"Hey, guys," The guy smirked, looking at him and the girl in front of him. He gave the girl a sharp look that had her scurrying away like the devil was on her tail. He came around Jeremy until he was in front, leaning against the lockers with a devilish smile. He looked down at his hand, which had an orange pill case, "Now, I don't think you need this."

Jeremy blinked and looked down at his own palms, realizing that the guy had somehow grabbed the pills without him knowing, "Who the hell are you?"

"Percy Jackson," The guy smiled, seeming undisturbed by the annoyed attitude coming from the fifteen year-old. "You must be related to Elena. I'm only assuming 'cause she's back there glaring at you like she wants to kick your ass into next week," He nodded behind Jeremy and the teen turned slightly to see his sister out of the corner of his eye.

"Yeah," The brown-haired boy nodded. "She's my sister. Now, can I have my stuff back?"

"No can do, Little Man," Percy grinned, slipping the pills somewhere on him and out of sight. "Listen here, you're too young to go down this road. Trust me, I've been through something similar and it's not pretty. It may seem like it takes away all the pain and suffering but it only just adds more. You have so much goin' for ya. Don't make stupid decisions like this, okay? I know I have no right to be telling you this since it's your life but- trust me, okay?"

Jeremy didn't say anything for a moment, watching as Percy smiled over his shoulder, and he could feel Elena's glare on him disappear, "I-What-" He looked up at the older teen and sighed, "I-I'll try, alright?" For some reason, even though his sister and aunt have been trying to get him to stop, he wanted to try for this guy. It felt nice to know that someone outside of his family was worried about him.

"That's all I can ask for," Percy ruffled his hair like an older brother would and sauntered away like nothing happened.

Jeremy blinked and shook his head, noting that the girl he had tried giving pills to had disappeared. Part of him was glad for that fact.

Elena didn't know what to say when Percy walked by her, patting her shoulder and murmuring, "He's okay."

* * *

Stefan didn't know what to make of the new guy.

He seemed so much like Damon that it almost physically hurt to be near him. Seriously, he had only thought that his brother could smirk in a way that said he had done something mischievous without having actually done anything in that moment. Part of him was scared for the day should they meet.

Right now, he couldn't worry about the guy right now. His brother had just attacked another human and he had to clean up after him. Again.

"Damon, stop this."

"No can do, Little Brother," Damon didn't even look up from the magazine he was reading on one of the chairs in the living room. "Hey, what kind of animal are they going to blame this one on?"

"They shouldn't have to be worrying about anything, Damon. They didn't have to before you got here. Why are you here?"

"I got bored," The eldest Salvatore smirked, looking up at his brother, and Stefan could almost picture the same look on Percy. "And I missed this old, musty, gaudy place."

"Because that right there was believable."

"I heard there's a dance going on at your school," Damon looked down at the magazine again, reaching one arm out to grab a glass of bourbon sitting on a table. "I swear, your school has more dances than anything else. When's it at?"

"You're not coming," Stefan glared at his brother, who simply took a sip of his drink.

"Aw, don't be like that, Stefan. I just wanna have a little fun," His smile was like a shark when it smelled blood.

Oh, how close to the truth that was.

* * *

Damon came.

Truth be told, Stefan didn't even know what the dance was for either. All he knew was that Elena wanted him to come and he couldn't say no to her. It was more like a get-together but everyone was smiling and having fun and the Salvatore figured this was what it was meant to be.

He could see Percy at the far end of the clearing, away from the fire pit and the mass of people. He seemed content to just lean against a stone wall by himself, nursing a cup of God know's what. He didn't seem like the most sociable type, despite how he acted in the classroom and with Jeremy.

Speaking of Elena's brother, Stefan thought he saw him walk up to the new kid, smiling like they were the best of friends, before walking away. It was strange but made the black-haired teen smile like no one had ever done that to him before.

Stefan almost felt sad for the guy.

Then, he saw Damon making his way through the crowd like he wasn't even there, ignoring any girl that laid eyes on him in favor of coming over to Stefan. Before he even reached him, however, he stopped and looked to the side, eyes heading straight to Percy. His eyebrows rose in, what looked like, surprise and he changed course, walking straight toward the human.

Stefan wanted to go after his brother but he was perplexed when he had only started talking to him, looking interested in something. Percy had responded with a small smile, like the two were sharing a secret. Their talk went on for another minute before Damon left.

Stefan almost fell back in shock when he came back with two drinks, handing one to Percy.

For the life (or… not life) of him, he couldn't figure out just what the hell was going on. For once, he wasn't even sure if his brother was going to kill the guy or not. He seemed so at ease talking to the teenager that Stefan could almost forget that Damon was a murdering psychopath. Almost.

The strange thing was, the two's exchanged seemed like something to be treasured by most, like they had forgotten about everyone and the world was had faded into the background. They seemed to be having a great time, laughing and joking around like they had known each other since the beginning of time, and Stefan almost didn't want to break that up.

Almost.


	2. Chapter 2

To be honest, Damon never planned on coming to the dance. Really, he had no reason to. All of the humans, with their drinking and annoyingly loud voices, were going to be packed into one area and it would have been hard for the vampire to get a decent snack.

No, he planned on staying home.

Until he remembered about the new kid.

Curiosity killed the cat, or so they say, but Damon really wanted to just take a look at who was the talk of the town in a way. The guy had managed to get his brother all wound up and wary, along with Elena as well. It was intriguing and was what made Damon want to see exactly who he was.

When he actually arrived, he could pinpoint the exact moment Stefan saw him and couldn't help but smirk. He made his way towards his little brother, intent on asking exactly where the guy was, when he spotted him. It must have been the fact that, despite the fact that people surrounded him and girls were giving him bedroom eyes, he stood alone at the edge of the clearing that drew Damon towards him.

"Hey," The eldest Salvatore smiled at the black-haired teen, who glanced at him with bright green eyes. "Haven't seen you around here before."

The guy just raised an eyebrow, the corners of his lips quirking up into a small smile, "Yeah, I'm new here. You go to the high school?"

"Nah, Stefan's my brother," He jabbed a thumb over at the vampire, who was watching both of them carefully. "I decided I'd crash the party."

"Eh, not really a party," The green-eyed teen said with a roll of his eyes. "Most people here are dumb shits who think getting high and drunk beyond beyond belief is 'fun'."

Damon let out a surprised snort of laughter, not expecting that in the slightest from the human, "Oh, I like you. I'm Damon."

"Percy," The other grinned.

"Well, Percy, can I get you a drink?" Damon didn't know what he was doing but he knew he wanted to talk to this guy more. There was something about him that seemed to draw him in, like he was a cat going after catnip.

"I'd love that," He nodded. "Anything's fine. I walked here."

"Great," The vampire nodded. "I'll be right back." He glanced over at Stefan when he walked away from Percy, noting his brother's curious and skeptical gaze. He smirked and tilted his head, probably making his brother think he was going to murder the teen soon.

He probably wasn't going to.

He looked at the assortment of drinks, pondering which one to grab for himself and which one for Percy. The teen said, in not much hinting at all, that he could have alcohol, seeing as he didn't drive to the dance (or whatever it was). Now, Damon was tasked with finding him something to drink that wasn't poisoned by messed-up teenagers. Finally, he decided on Rum since the people were too pour to buy some _real_ alcohol.

Percy was still there when he walked back.

He found himself smiling as he came over, holding out a red solo cup for the teen to take. He felt comfortable around him, more than he did around anyone, and the vampire didn't know why. It was almost like Percy didn't care how he was, that, at some point in their pointless conversation about the pros and cons of living with an alien, even though he made rude comments that had other people glaring at him and screaming harsh words, he saw him for him and not the facade he put up.

He even laughed loudly at one of his jokes that normally had people looking at him like he was a psychopath.

He's a keeper.

* * *

The dance was winding down and it was dark out and Damon asked a question he never thought he'd as a human, "Wanna ride to your place? It's pretty late out."

Percy looked up at him through his eyelashes, his cheeks dusted a light pink. He seemed to be able to hold his alcohol better than most of the teenagers, seeing as that was his eleventh cup and he looked barely buzzed. "Sure," He smiled, shrugging his shoulders. "Lead the way."

Damon nodded and the two walked towards where the cars were, "You puke in my car and I won't hesitate to kill you."

Percy rolled his eyes, "Bite me, Pretty Boy."

The human didn't realize that, not only was that a play on the fact that he was a vampire, it was a very sexual thing to say. "In your dreams," Damon laughed. "Here we go," He gestured to his vehicle.

Percy whistled when he caught sight of the blue monster, "1969 Chevy Camaro Convertible. Nice."

"You know your cars," The vampire grinned, pleased.

"Only the pretty ones," The human laughed. He slid into the passenger seat easily and with grace, like he rode with Damon countless times before. They talked during the whole ride since Percy only had to give the blue-eyed vampire his address since he knew the layout of the area better.

When they finally reached the human's place, an apartment that definitely met better days, Damon found he didn't want the teen to leave quite yet. Turns out, Percy felt the same when he turned around and asked if he wanted to hang out again when he was out of school the next day.

Damon found himself agreeing almost immediately. It was embarrassing.

* * *

"Where have you been?" Stefan demanded the moment Damon walked through the front door.

"Woah," Damon held up his hands, a smirk making its way onto his face. "No 'hello'?"

Stefan rolled his eyes, "Hello, Damon. Now, where were you?"

"I was driving the new kid, Percy, home," The vampire responded, lowering his hands and crossing his arms. "You know he has no car, right?"

"Oh, my God," His little brother seemed to ignore that last bit as he ran a hand down his face. "You didn't kill him, did you?"

The older Salvatore shrugged, "You'll just have to find out. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to bed. I need my beauty sleep."

* * *

Stefan, as horrible as this might sound, was surprised to see Percy still alive and talking to Jeremy and Elena.

It seemed like Jeremy and Percy were mainly talking while Elena stood by and listened with interest. Stefan focused on them and could hear some of the conversation.

" _-failing History?"_ Percy seemed scandalized, like he couldn't even imagine that happening, " _But this section is_ _easy_ _!"_

" _No, it's not!"_ Jeremy shook his head, " _We're going into mythology and learning the difference between Greek and Roman gods are kicking my ass!"_

" _Why don't I help you?"_ Percy shrugged, giving the fifteen year-old a lopsided grin, " _I know a thing or two enough about them to get your grade up to at least a C-."_

" _You'd tutor me?"_ Jeremy's eyes went wide, " _For real?"_

Stefan walked up to the small group in time to actually hear the green-eyed teen's response.

"Sure," Percy nodded, shoving his hands in the pocket of his blue hoodie. "I don't see why not. I got nothing else to do."

"Thanks, man," Jeremy grinned widely. "Hey, I gotta go to my class. See ya later?"

"Yeah, Dude," The other said. "See ya."

Elena watched her brother go with something akin to shock. She had never seen him so worried about his grades like this. He used to worry but he started not caring anymore when their parents passed away. It was like he was completely shutting down. Then, this new kid came along, said a few choice words to her brother, and Jeremy was back to being his usually self and slowly getting off of using drugs.

It was almost like a miracle and he was a gift from the gods.

* * *

"I met your brother," Percy smiled at Stefan as he sat next to him, throwing his backpack to the side. "Interesting guy."

"Yeah?" Stefan tensed a bit, "He didn't say anything weird, did he?"

"Nah," The human shook his head but there was a calculating look in his eyes, like he was working out something in his head and Stefan was the problem. "There's something different about you two," Percy grinned and leaned back in his chair, putting his hands behind his neck. "I don't know what it is but I know it'll make life here in Mystic Falls very fun."

Stefan couldn't help but be wary around the human. What the hell was he talking about? There was no way he could know that he and Damon were vampires. Absolutely no way. He'd have to keep a closer eye on him and make sure he didn't accidentally reveal his secret in front of Percy. That would be bad.

Very bad.

"Relax," Percy looked over at him just as the teacher walked into the classroom. "Nothing horrible is going to happen."

Stefan could have sworn he heard him mumble "For now" under his breath.

* * *

"Hey," Damon was parked in front of the school, ignoring people as they stared at him and his car in favor of smiling at his new friend(?).

"Hey," Percy walked over with his backpack slung over his shoulder, a grin tilting his lips. "Wanna hang out at my place?"

"Sure," The Salvatore nodded and got into the driver's seat, watching as the human slid into the passenger's side. "You live with anyone?"

"Nah," Percy shook his head. "My mom and my step-dad live in New York and I'm an only child. The only reason I'm allowed to stay here is because my real dad knows where I am."

"Huh," The vampire turned down a road. "Must get lonely."

The teen had a small, almost sad, smile on his face as he said softly, "Yeah."

They finally pulled up at Percy's apartment and Damon noted that it almost looked worst than yesterday. Part of it looked vandalized and the Salvatore wondered if his father was helping the human pay for rent or not.

He didn't think so.

"Come on," Percy walked up some steps and unlocked the door, walking through. He froze suddenly and turned around, looking at Damon. He looked down at the edge of the entrance before looking up at the vampire, smiling, "You can come on in."

Damon felt almost nervous when his green eyes landed on him. It almost felt like all of his secrets were coming to the surface and he wasn't used to that. It never happened before and he was caught off guard. "Thanks," He stepped through easily, feeling at ease almost immediately.

"You're different, Damon," Percy started once the front door was closed, gaze calculating. "You and your brother. I don't know what it is about you two but I can sense something off."

"Oh, yeah?" Damon put up a grin to hide his sudden (and unexpected) anxiety. Did he not want Percy to know he was a vampire? Since when did he start caring about that? A million thoughts ran through his head before he settled on one.

He had finally made a friend (on his own) and did not want to lose him (like the others).

"Don't worry," Percy shrugged, throwing himself on the small couch in the living room. The apartment was tiny, only having a living room, mini kitchen, and a bedroom. "I won't say or do anything. When you want to tell me, you will. Just know," He gave the vampire a sharp grin, something like mischief flashing in his eyes. "Nothing really surprises me anymore."

There was a moment of silence as Damon digested his words before Percy spoke again, effectively breaking it, "So… Star Wars?"


	3. Chapter 3

Looking back on it, they really shouldn't have watched the Star Wars movies.

Turns out, neither could stop once they started.

So, they spent the whole night and a bit of the morning finishing them and now both were dead tired. Sadly, it was Friday and Percy had school. Being the new kid still, he couldn't miss a day and now he was regretting watching anything with Damon.

"I hate you," He groaned, wrapping his blanket around him more as he rolled a bit on the floor. They watched the movies in the living room, seeing as that was where the only TV was. At first, they were on the couch but, by the third movie, they had, somehow, ended up on the floor with a mountain of pillows and blankets.

"No, you don't," Damon's voice was too cheerful for five in the morning and it just made Percy try to hide in his blanket even more.

"I'll kill you, Salvatore. "I'm vicious."

"I'd like to see you try," The brunette smirked and laughed when the other just poked his side consistently. "Oh, no, I'm quaking in my boots."

"Fear me," Percy muttered before pushing off his blanket and getting up. He was going agonizingly slow, still half-asleep, and he stumbled to the hall. He looked over at Damon, who was leaning against the couch, and pointed at him, "You are driving me to school."

The vampire grinned and gave a mock salute, "Yes, sir."

The green-eyed teen stared at him for a moment before nodding, walking off to his room.

When the other left, Damon took the time to contemplate on what the _hell_ was going on. First, he willingly approached a human _and_ didn't feel tempted to kill him, and then he, again, _willingly_ drove the guy home. _Then_ he picked him up at school and watched all of the Star Wars movies. _All of them._ Now, he was driving him to school.

What the hell?

Damon wasn't known for befriending humans… Or anyone, really, and, yet, here he was hanging out with someone like they were… They were friends. It was strange and bizarre and… Damon, actually, kind of… Liked it.

Stefan would flip.

The vampire could hear his friend(?) in the other room, opening and closing drawers while muttering. " _Stupid morning… Stupid sunlight… Stupid-"_ There was a crash and Percy cursed, " _Fuck. Stupid phone wanting to attack the ground… Damn, I need coffee…"_

The eldest Salvatore had to smile at that. Apparently, the teen wasn't a morning person. He got up and stretched before heading to the kitchen, humming quietly to himself. He was tired, sure, but he knew he was more awake than Percy. He could handle not sleeping for a whole night. Percy could too, he was sure, but the world couldn't handle a sleep-deprived Percy. That, Damon knew for fact in his unbeating heart.

Percy came out a few minutes later dressed in a blue shirt with black pants, shoes not even on yet. He stumbled in the kitchen and looked up at Damon, who was holding out a cup of coffee. He looked at the cup, then at the vampire, and then back at the cup, reaching forward, "You… Are perfect, Damon Salvatore. Absolutely perfect."

Damon preened at the compliment. It felt nice to hear that instead of having someone call him a monster and a psychopath.

Damn, he was going soft. He'll claim he was saving himself by giving the other coffee.

"Ready to go?" The Salvatore grinned, nudging the human towards the door. He had another cup of coffee in his hand, drinking from it slowly. Percy was gulping his down like there was nothing else in the world and this was the last time he could ever taste the hot drink.

"No," The green-eyed teen mumbled, looking around his small apartment. "I can't find my shoes…"

Damon looked around too and spotted a pair of ratty blue converse under the tiny dining room table. He quickly picked them up and opened the front door, "Come on, you can put them on in the car."

Percy was asleep most of the ride, that being the only sleep he had gotten, and only woke occasionally to sip his coffee like a zombie only after one thing. By the time they got to the school, Percy was already finished with it and reaching for Damon's.

The Salvatore grinned and handed it over. Normally, he wouldn't do that but his friend(?) needed it more than he did since he wouldn't be able to get more and Damon would. "Put on your shoes."

The human lazily did as told before sloppily patting his shoulder and practically falling out of the car, "Thanks, bud. I'll see ya-" He yawned, "See ya later. I'm just… I'm going to go pass out, now."

* * *

Today was the day that Jeremy was supposed to get help in history class from Percy. Said teen was practically asleep in all of his classes, so he heard from other people and scolding teachers, and clinging to a cup of coffee like a teddy bear. Jeremy knew that, if he wanted any help from Percy, the guy had to be awake for it.

So, with that in mind, Jeremy, during lunch, went off campus to one of the nearby cafe's that he forgot the name to and grabbed four coffees- one for himself and the other three for Percy. It looked like the dude didn't get any sleep and so he decided to at least get him up enough to last the day before he inevitably crashed when he got to his home.

"Okay," Percy was scanning one of the bookshelves in Mystic High's large library, rubbing his head like the words were giving him a headache. "So, you're learning about, what? The Greeks and Romans, right?"

"Yeah," Jeremy nodded, seated on one of the wooden chairs. "The Olympians."

"Alright, easy," The older teen grabbed a thick book, tossing it at the other and hitting him in the stomach. "This is a good one. It's got accurate enough information about them, I guess."

Jeremy rubbed his stomach, glaring at Percy, before he opened the book, "Uh… Percy? This isn't English… I think it's Greek…"

"What?" Percy grabbed the book, reading the page the brunette had opened to, "Huh, so it is. Alright, I'll just give you some notes you can jot down to remember."

"Wait, you can read Greek?" It was Damon who asked, the vampire leaning against the doorframe. He was lucky that both Percy and Jeremy had a free period because he was starting to get bored at home.

The green-eyed teen didn't even react, for some reason, while Jeremy flinched in surprise. Percy just lazily looked over, sipping some of his coffee. "Yeah?" He said it with a slight drawl, like it should have been obvious and Damon was an idiot for not knowing.

Oh, he liked him.

"Nice," The eldest Salvatore walked over and pulled out a chair, sitting on it cowboy style. "You'll have to teach me sometime. I only know Italian."

Percy raised an eyebrow in interest, "Really?"

"Veramente," Damon smirked with a nod, tapping his hands on the desk in front of him.

"Awesome," Percy grinned, shifting the book in his hands. "If you teach me Italian, I'll teach you Greek."

"Deal."

Jeremy was looking between the two, suddenly feeling he was witnessing something personal, special, intimate… Ancient. He cleared his throat and almost felt bad when they seemed to snap out of the little world they shared. "Um, so, the book…"

"Right," Percy looked down at the page, laying the book on the table for the other to see. He would point at a line, reading it first in English for Jeremy and then slowly in Greek for Damon. He corrected the vampire when he said a word too sharp or too soft, a smile forming on his face.

"This is hard," The Salvatore groaned, resting his head on the table.

"κάνετε το πρόστιμο," The green-eyed teen said with a smile, patting his shoulder. (You are doing fine)

"I don't know what you said…"

"I said 'you're doing fine.' You're learning faster than most, Damon. It's amazing."

Damon simply tilted his head up, "Grazi, amico." (thank you, friend)

"That's 'thank you', right?" Percy grinned. "είστε ευπρόσδεκτοι, περίεργα ένας." (You are welcome, strange one)

* * *

By the time their free period was over, Jeremy felt like he knew a lot more about the Greek and Roman gods than he thought he would. Percy was a good teacher and he got into what he was talking about, correcting any assumptions Jeremy made about the gods and patiently waiting until he came with an answer to a sudden question asked. He, kind of, felt like he knew more than the teacher…

He looked up when he heard faint laughter down the hall and saw Percy and Damon walking outside and towards the parking lot. They both looked absolutely happy, like there was no care in the world, and Jeremy never thought he'd ever see Damon like that. He had always thought the man was unfeeling and dangerous but, when he was with Percy, the blue-eyed man seemed like a whole nother person. He would smile widely and with a gentleness the boy never thought Damon was capable of.

If Percy made Damon like this, Jeremy prayed the two never got separated from the other.


	4. Chapter 4

"Hey," Damon smirked as Percy slid into the passenger side of his car.

"Hey," The green-eyed teen smiled at the vampire before fishing something out of his pocket. "Here."

"What's this?" He grabbed the item, "You got a phone?"

"Yup, just yesterday. I want ya to put your number in -you know, in case I need a ride or something," Percy shrugged, a grin on his face.

Damon rolled his eyes, "Right, _that's_ why you want my number." He chuckled and opened the contacts. He was a bit shocked when he realized that he would be the _only_ contact. What the heck? What about his mom or dad? His father _at least_ should be on here since he, supposedly, lives in the area. He put in his number and handed the phone back, waiting for the teen to read his name.

"Did you seriously put a kissy-face emoji?"

"Yup," The vampire chuckled, starting his car. They hadn't even left the school parking lot yet.

"Give me your phone," Percy snatched the device from the other's hand before he even had a chance to lift up his arm.

Normally, that was the part where they'd be dead or, at _least_ , lose a limb but Damon, once again, found himself doing nothing. Percy seemed to be the only person who willingly hung out with _him_ and not his brother. He was _his_ friend- someone who benged watches all the Star Wars movies with him even though he has school the next day, drinks coffee like it's a life-saving thing, and is not afraid to make fun of him for messing up or try to trip him _to_ mess him up.

When Damon got the phone back, he snorted, "You chose the one with sunglasses? Seriously?"

Percy arched an eyebrow at him before pulling out black shades, putting them on, "It fits me, no?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"So, where're we going this time?" The green-eyed teen asked, getting comfortable in the worn seating.

"I thought we could get something to eat at this little diner a couple minutes away. Then we can watch a movie or something," Damon shrugged. He wasn't good at planning stuff like this, he realized.

"Sounds good to me," The other grinned.

Percy didn't seem to mind that part about him, though.

* * *

"No way," Damon laughed loudly, drawing attention to them, but they didn't care about everyone else. It was just them, two friends having fun. "Your friend pranked his crush? To show his "love"?"

"Yeah," Percy chuckled, eyes going distant for a split second. "It wasn't very smart of him, I guess."

"That's hilarious," The vampire shook his head, reaching for his drink. "How's your Italian coming along?"

The green-eyed teen pouted for a moment, "Not good. I can't get it down for some reason."

"That's okay, we've only been practicing for a couple of days," Damon shrugged.

"True," Percy smiled, looking up at the waitress when she came around with their food. He eyed his spaghetti with a pleased look, grabbing his fork eagerly.

Damon could feel his own smile forming on his lips and quickly ducked his head when the other looked up at him. This had never happened to him before. When was the last time he felt so… So… _flustered?_

Percy glanced up again at the vampire through his lashes before, suddenly, pulling his chair closer to the other and taking out his phone, "Let's take pictures! I wanna print them out, I love photos!"

The Salvatore nodded, idly noticing a block on the back of the teen's phone, "Sounds good to me." He put an arm around his friend's shoulders, giving his signature smirk, "This goo-" He was cut off by having a mouth full of spaghetti and turned to Percy, who was holding up his phone and laughing, with wide eyes.

"Oh, man, you're _face!_ " Percy cackled before flinching when tomato sauce hit his face. He looked at the vampire, who was holding his fork up with a smirk. "Okay, it's _on!_ "

* * *

They got kicked out.

It was a given, though, seeing as they were throwing their food around more than eating it.

"I had so much fun!" Percy giggled, stumbling around like he was drunk despite only drinking some Pepsi.

"Me, too," Damon nodded. "Oh, hey," He took out his phone before grabbing the other by his waist, pulling him close to his side to take a picture. "For your collection," He explained.

The green-eyed teen grinned, "Yay! Let's watch a movie now! I wanna watch some Disney."

The vampire opened the passenger-side door of his car for the other, "I have Finding Nemo at my house."

Percy stopped before looking up at the Salvatore, "It's like you were fucking _made for me._ "

Damon blinked in shock before releasing a bark of laughter.

 _Definitely_ keeping him.

* * *

" _What is he doing here?"_ Stefan hissed, pulling his older brother to the side.

" _What?"_ Damon looked over at Percy, who was looking around their living room curiously. It didn't seem like he could hear them so he looked at the brunette next to him, " _You can bring Elena here but I can't bring a friend?"_

The youngest Salvatore went to say something when he stopped short, " _Friend?"_

" _Yes,_ _friend_ _,"_ Damon glared. " _I have those. Now, if you'll excuse me, little brother, my_ _friend_ _is waiting for me."_ He didn't bother looking at Stefan again as he passed by, smiling at Percy, who looked at him so happily. He couldn't remember a time where he was greeted with a look like that and it made him almost afraid to know what would happen if he told Percy the truth about him. He didn't think he was ready to lose his friend. "Ready?"

"Yes!" Percy fist-pumped the air before flopping on one of the couches, snuggling in the pillows, "I love Finding Nemo."

Damon grinned and grabbed a throw-blanket, sitting next to the teen and tossing it over them. He grabbed his remote and hit play, watching as it started. He could hear Percy making comments here and there and he was pretty sure, at one point, he heard the other sniffling. "Getting emotional there?" He whispered, chuckling in his ear.

Percy shivered, looking up at the vampire, "Shut up, it's- it's just dusty here."

"Riiight. Whatever you say, PJ."

"Damn straight."


	5. Chapter 5

A week passed since Damon and Percy had started hanging out and Stefan wasn't sure how to react with how much his brother changed in that time.

But the "animal attacks" didn't stop.

They slowed, but they never stopped.

Damon still fed and Stefan was worried about when the time would come where he'd turn on Percy. Would there be a time? God, Stefan wished he knew for certain. It was all so _frustrating_.

-" _Another animal attack has occurred once again. Authorities suggest not staying past midnight and to avoid dark areas. It is suspected that the cause is-"-_

Stefan shut off the tv, sighing to himself. He just wanted a normal life but Damon always had to come and ruin it. He thought that, with his brother having a friend and all for once, that he'd stop, or maybe be more discreet if he can.

Obviously not.

"What game are you playing?" He approached the eldest Salvatore, who was nursing a glass of bourbon, "Is your friendship with Percy just a little game to you? Part of your plan?"

Damon's head snapped up and he was in front of the other before he could even blink, "What's going on between me and Percy?" He slammed his brother against the wall, holding him by his throat, "Isn't some little 'game'." He let go of his brother, watching him kneel on the floor gasping, "I'm heading out."

Stefan watched him leave, touching his throat gently. Damon was up to something, he knew. The question was what it was he was up to.

* * *

Damon didn't know where he was going, if he was being completely honest. He had hopped in his car and took a drive, not even thinking about where anything would lead him. Was he using Percy? Was this all some sick game- was what he was feeling even _real?_ He was broken out of his thoughts when his phone rang and Percy's name popped up, "Hello?"

" _Damon,"_ His friend sounded relieved to hear him. " _There was an attack at the school. No one knows what it was but- Look, can you get here? I-I need to leave. Please, Damon."_ He seemed out of breath, like he was running, and he could hear the slamming of doors.

"Yeah, I'm on my way. I'll be there in five," He hung up and took a deep breath, tightening his grip on the steering wheel. Was he hurt? Did Percy get attacked? Was he running from something?

Since when did he start worrying about something like this?

* * *

When Damon got to the school, Sheriff Forbes was there with her fellow officers, pointing at the doors. The vampire looked over and his eyes widened when he saw that the doors had actually practically been blown off, glass and wood everywhere. If he looked close enough, he could see claw marks in the pieces.

He needed to get to Percy. He _had to._

"Damon!" Elena went as quickly as she could towards the vampire the minute she saw him, "Thank God you're he-"

"Where's Percy?" The Salvatore stumbled in a circle, like he could spot the teen quickly, "He called, said there was an attack. He said he had to leave. Elena, _where is he?_ "

"That's the thing," Elena stepped in front of the vampire, stopping him. "A vampire broke into the school, talking about Katherine and stuff. He was going to attack me but Percy stopped him and he took off running. I don't know everything that happened but I think the vampire followed and- Damon, I think I saw _blood_."

"What?" He went to turn when the girl grabbed his wrist, stopping him momentarily.

"Damon, I already called Stefan. He's put searching for hi-"

"So, you're saying I shouldn't look for him," The vampire's icy-blue eyes bore into hers.

"Yes. Stefan can handle this!"

The Salvatore broke out of her grasp, "Fuck you, Elena. He's my _friend_ and I'm going to find him. He called me for help. I'm not letting him down because St. Stefan wants to play _hero._ "

* * *

There was a sweet and salty scent leading into the forest that reminded Damon of the sea and he wondered if this was Percy's blood he was smelling. It was amazing but, in this situation, he prayed he was wrong. He sped further past the trees, never letting anything distract him. He came to a stop, however, when he heard Stefan and Percy talking.

"Are you alright?"

"I told you, I'm _fine._ "

"You're bleeding from your stomach. Let me help."

"Look, St. Stefan, if you come near me, I will stab you with a spork I used in third period. I'm _fine._ I need to get to Damon," Percy sounded agitated and he stamped his foot down in frustration, glaring at the youngest Salvatore.

"You can't see Damon anymore," Stefan said. "He's not a good person. He's obviously influencing you!"

"In what way? Hmm?" Percy took a step forward, removing his hand from his stomach so he could jab a finger at the other's chest, "Damon is a good person. Yeah, he has a fucked up way of showing it but you're no better. Take a break, be a Saint. What good does it do when you can barely show restraint?"

The teen snatched his hand away, eyeing the brown-haired vampire, and Stefan could tell he knew more than he let on. Still, he had to get him away from his brother, "He _kills people_ , Percy."

The green-eyed boy was quiet for a moment but his next words dumbfounded the Salvatore, "Cool."

"You don't understand. Damon is-"

"Yeah, yeah, your brother's a serial killer, I get it. Can I go now? He's picking me up."

"You just called him a serial killer but you're going in a car with him?" Stefan's eyebrows creased together in confusion.

"What can I say? I'm a sucker for danger." He looked at Stefan and rolled his eyes, "Oh, put away the judgy brows. You look constipated."

"Percy," Damon decided to make himself known, stepping in the clearing. "Are you okay?"

"If you mean besides the fact that someone broke into the school and I'm bleeding out of my stomach, yes. Actually, no. I'm kind of hungry."

"I'll pick something up at the Grill later. Come on," He motioned for his friend to come over, glaring at his little brother. He was surprised when the teen came over without hesitating, even looking chipper despite his energy and the fact that he suspected Damon to be a serial killer.

" _Damon-_ " The youngest Salvatore started.

" _Stefan_."

Stefan was surprised when both Percy and Damon turned around at the same time, looking aggravated. God, they were so alike, it was scary. Next thing you knew, Percy had some crazy hidden ability and killed people for a hobby.

"Look," It was Percy who spoke. "I'm tired, hungry, and in pain. If you don't _shut the fuck up_ , I can't be held responsible for what I do." He looked at Damon as if just realizing something, "Is it okay if I threaten your brother?"

The vampire held up his hands, a wide grin on his face, "Go ahead. It's… Wow, you're pretty awesome."

The teen looked pleased at that statement, "Cool. Let's go before I bleed out and die." They walked off to the car, the Salvatore helping his friend part of the way. Percy was about to open the passenger door when he spoke again, "Oh, if you do decide to kill me right now, at least let me tell some friends in New York that I'm friends with a serial killer. We have a bet going. They owe me ten bucks now."

Damon was silent for a split second before he busted out laughing, "You're crazy."


	6. Chapter 6

_"That's good for now."_

* * *

"Hey, how come Percy's not at school?" Elena looked around, searching for the teen.

"He's, uh, on sick leave," Stefan said, careful of the people close to him in the hall. In a quieter tone, he whispered, "He got hurt. Damon's with him."

" _Damon's_ with him?"

"I know it sounds like a bad idea-"

"'It's a _terrible_ idea."

"-But Percy wouldn't let anyone near him."

Elena crossed her arms, "I still don't think Damon should be near him when he's hurt."

"Me neither but Percy won't change his mind. He looked close to murdering me when I even came close to him."

"You guys talkin' about me?"

Stefan and Elena both jumped at the voice, the vampire a bit surprised that he didn't hear the person. They turned around to see Percy grinning at them, one hand on the strap of his bag as he leaned against the lockers.

"Percy!" Elena looked surprised, "I thought you were sick!"

The teen raised an eyebrow at her, "Yeah, but I really was just dehydrated."

"Damon said you were really sick," Stefan spoke up.

The green-eyed boy waved him off, "Damon is such a mother hen. I'm fine, see?" He spread his arms out, a lopsided grin on his face, "Nothing to worry your pretty little head about, Salvatore."

The vampire nodded, "You look completely fine."

"Told you. Now, what's my first period?"

"History," The Gilbert supplied.

"Ah, right," Percy nodded before looping his arm with hers. "Shall we go, milady?"

She giggled slightly, "We shall."

Stefan bit his lip as he watched the two walk away, a weird feeling inside of him. Something about Percy seemed off when he came near him, like he was tense.

* * *

"Stefan says you're acting different," Damon says when he sees his friend, pulling out of the school parking lot. "You're making him nervous."

"I know," Percy watched the youngest Salvatore walk across the football field to where Elena was waiting for him. "I don't see the problem in that."

The vampire grinned, "He does need to lighten up."

"Everyone's terrified of something at one point. Why not make him afraid of me?"

Damon gave a small bark of laughter, "You're amazing. Crazy, but amazing."

"I know."

* * *

Percy never smiled with his teeth, Damon noted one day as he watched the teenager translate some Greek text for him. He didn't know why that was but the Salvatore knew not to ask about it. It was an unspoken thing between them. The teen had a nice smile though but it felt fake somehow, like if he smiled with everything he had, everything he had would break into nothing more than a mess no one would want to clean up.

Maybe that was just Damon's thoughts.

And maybe Damon would be the only one to clean the mess for him.

"You alright there?" Percy was looking at him with a raised eyebrow, absentmindedly chewing on he end of his pen as his other hand pointed at the last word he left off on, "You spaced out for a minute."

Damon shrugged, "Just thinking."

The teen hummed, nodding a bit as his gaze lowered to his book once more, "You want to stop before we go into verbs, right?" He highlighted something on the pages, circling another word in pen on the other page.

"Yeah, what do you have so far?" The vampire leaned forward in his chair, attempting to peer at what the other was writing.

"Hellos and goodbyes."

"That's good for now."

* * *

"Ah, man," Percy sighed silently to himself as he pushed open his front door. He toed off his shoes, leaving them by the entrance, before tossing his bag onto the couch. Making his way over to the bathroom, he opened the door before moving to stand in front of the mirror. He lifted up his shirt, studying himself for a moment. On his stomach was the a mostly-healed slash wound. He quietly poked it, hissing slightly, before dropping his shirt, " _Hades."_

The teen moved out of the bathroom and to his kitchen before he remembered that he was out of food. "Great, He murmured, running a hand through his hair and returning to the door for his shoes. "Just _great_."

Percy was barely down the stairs to his apartment when a soft growl sounded behind him. The green-eyed boy seemed to sigh before turning around slowly, throwing his hands up in exasperation, " _Perfect_."

* * *

"What's the matter with you?" Elena eyed the teen with concern.

Percy was slumped in his desk with his head down, the hood of his jacket up to shield the sun from his eyes. He was out of it, barely responding to anything anyone said, including the teacher. With the way he was mostly leaning on his left arm, one might think that he was favoring his right him, keeping as much weight off of it as possible.

He looked up slightly, his black hair falling in front of his eyes, "M'tired, 'Lena."

"Did you get any sleep last night?"

"No," Percy's eyes were dropping again. "M'tired."

"You should go to the nurse then," Elena said, looking close to helping him get there, running a gentle hand through his soft hair for a quick moment.

The fact that the teen didn't argue with her said how tired he truly was, "M'kay…" He sat up and raised his hand, "Sir, can I got to the nurse?"

"Is it important?" The history teacher asked.

Percy arched his eyebrows, the hand still raised in the air giving a small, barely noticeable snap, "Can I go to the nurse?"

The teacher blinked and a strange feeling went through the air, passing over everyone. "Of course," The man smiled, gesturing to the door.

"Thanks," The teen stumbled to his feet, waving Elena off when she reached a hand to help, and left the classroom without another word.

"You felt that, too, right?" She turned to Stefan, who was silent the entire time, but the Salvatore was focused on the door.


	7. Chapter 7

_"I like cuddling and I live by myself."_

* * *

Percy was happy. He had just managed to find time to finish his assignment for his literature class _and_ go grocery shopping so he could fill his sad fridge and pantry. On top of that, Damon was coming over so they could watch Back to the Future and he wanted to make the Salvatore some food. They've been having take-out way too much and Percy was starting to get a small pouch belly.

That was how he found himself listening to music in the kitchen, humming to himself as he cooked. He swung his hips slightly as he went, whisking a bowl of eggs and flour together with some butter. He spun around to pick up more milk from the island for the mix and nearly jumped when he saw Damon leaning on the kitchen doorway, smirking at him, "Dude! Give a guy some warning!"

"Sorry," The man grinned, walking forward. "You seemed like you were having fun," He glanced at the bowl in the teen's hands. "What're you making?"

"Uh, crêpes ," Percy shrugged. "Well, attempting to. It's not that hard."

"I've never had one," Damon said and it was true. While he always let himself enjoy himself as the time passed, he never really felt drawn to crêpes or was in the right place to get them. When he looked at his friend, Percy looked deeply offended.

"Okay, no," He shook his head. "First, you've never seen Back to the Future and now you've never had _crêpes_? Come over here, I'm teaching you how to make these and you will _love it_!"

The Salvatore laughed, "Okay, okay. What kind are we making?"

The teen paused for a moment, glancing out the window at the setting sun, "Dessert ones. It's already five."

Damon nodded but he had to wonder how Percy could tell the time just by looking out the window and not at the clock in front of him. You had to travel a lot to be able to do that, or you just studied hard. He glanced at the teen's small speaker, softly playing a song with a familiar piano, "I know this one, I've heard it before."

Percy raised an eyebrow before grinning, "Oh, yeah, it's This Beating Heart by The Score. It's one of my favorites." He hummed along, occasionally singing a bit of the lyrics as he directed the other on what to do. " _Hold your head close to the ground, so you can hear my voice as it starts to sound. Can you feel it now, you feel it in your veins? 'Cause I feel it now, I'll never be the same~"_

The Salvatore smiled because he did remember the song, " _Hear these words, what I sing is true. Every note I write, I write them for you. Can you feel it now, you feel it in your veins? 'Cause I feel it now, I'll never be the same~"_

Percy looked pleasantly surprised and it soon ended up with them softly singing to one another as they flipped the desserts. They ended up with eight crêpes, too caught up in the music to realize how much they were making. It was fun though and Damon looked forward to being able to add the toppings.

"So," The teen gave him a lopsided grin as he added blueberry syrup to one of his. "Peanut butter?"

Damon looked down at his dessert, "Yeah, pass it over."

* * *

"These are so good," The vampire moaned into his food, already done with his first one.

Percy smiled at him, cheeks dusted a faint pink, "Good. What do you think about the movie?"

"I like it," Damon looked at his friend. "There's a second one, right?"

"And a third one," The teen nodded. "Wanna put in the second one, φιλε μου?" (my friend)

"Vαι μεν," He replied. (yes)

Percy looked impressed before settling into the couch and grabbing the remote, "Alrighty. Back to the Future 2!" He grinned at Damon, gesturing towards the screen, "Prepare for some awesomeness, Day."

"Day?" The vampire raised an eyebrow, internally smiling at the nickname.

"Yeah," The teen gave a small laugh, shrugging. "I gotta call you something, we're friends."

"Alright then, PJ. You gonna finish your food."

"You know it! Back off, Salvatore!" Percy kicked his sock-clad foot gently at the other, making both of them laugh at each other.

* * *

Caroline found Percy practically face-first in his coffee, what seemed like ten empty cups around him, "Percy?" She poked his side, and sighed lightly when he barely reacted, "Percy, what time did you go to bed last night? And the night before?"

"I didn't," He mumbled, quietly trying to sip his drink without lifting his head. "Now, leave me to die."

"Oh, hey, Caroline," Jeremy greeted the girl, coffee in one hand. "Percy, I got you another cup."

Said teen made grabby hands towards him, making small pitiful noises until he got it, "T'ank you, Jer'my."

"No problem," The Gilbert grinned.

Caroline looked at Percy, "You should be sleeping more. What's keeping you up?"

"I like cuddling," The Jackson gave her wide eyes, like a child, but it almost seemed like he was partially lying. "And I live by myself."

"You should see if Damon would cuddle with you," She joked and looked at bit horrified when he seemed to be contemplating it.

"O'tay," He said around his coffee, already done with half of it.

* * *

"Day!"

Damon was sitting on the couch with a book in the boarding house when he heard his friend call him, "In here!"

"Day!" Percy made a happy noise as he collided with the vampire's side, "I wanna cuddle."

The Salvatore looked down at the teen with raised eyebrows before giving a small smile, gently carding his fingers through his hair, "Want me to read to you?"

Green eyes peered up at him, "Will you?"

"Of course, mi amico." (my friend) " _And into the night he ran, his breath quickening with every step he took, heart pounding with every tree he passed. He didn't know where he was going, only that he had to run, had to go. They needed him- but who? He didn't know. So, he ran."_

Soon, Percy was asleep, curled into his side, and Damon was done with two chapters. He placed it on the table next to him, careful not to jostle his friend, "Sleep well, amico." (friend)

* * *

 **A/N: I'm not exactly proud of this chapter and the next one will be longer, I promise. Hope you (maybe) enjoyed!**

 **-Jones**


	8. Chapter 8

"Someone arrest that dog for obstruction of justice!"

Jeremy looked over and watched as Percy ran up next to him, his friend watching as a dog ran away with a set of keys, "That's not a thing."

The green-eyed teen looked over at him in surprise like he didn't notice him there, "Do you know how many crime shows I watch? It's definitely a thing."

"You can't charge a _dog_ with human crimes," The Gilbert sighed in exasperation. "Come on, obviously you haven't had coffee yet."

"I haven't but I can't- That mutt has the keys to my apartment! I swear to the gods, if that thing swallowed them…"

"Don't you have another set?" Jeremy asked, ignoring the colorful threats coming out of the human's mouth.

"Damon has it," Percy pouted. "Man, now I have to make another copy…"

"You gave Damon a key to your apartment?"

"Yeah?" The teen raised an eyebrow at him, "Why do you sound so surprised?"

"It's just- I mean, I didn't think you two were that close," Jeremy said quickly. Everyone knew that the other teen was, for some strange reason, protective of the eldest Salvatore.

"He's my best friend," Percy sounded a bit miffed that they didn't know that. It wasn't like they spent nearly everyday with each other or anything.

"Right, sorry," The Gilbert said sheepishly. "Well, let's go get some coffee and then you can call Damon for your keys."

"Okay," The green-eyed teen nodded, allowing the other to lead him to a coffee shop since he was still new to the area.

* * *

"Wanna go out on a moonlit killing spree?"

" _Damon,"_ Stefan sighed in exasperation at his brother. "For the last time, _no._ "

"But it's so poetic." The eldest Salvatore pouted, "I bet Percy would go with me."

"First off, I'm a little concerned with the fact that I actually believe that. And second, don't drag Percy into this no matter how bored you are."

"Don't order me around," Damon glared. "And I won't drag Percy into anything, he seems to have full control over everything he does." He didn't elaborate on what he meant, something was weird about his friend that he noticed since they met. The teen always seemed aware of what he did and kept his body tense even when they were alone. It was like he was expecting an attack but, oddly enough, not from Damon.

The vampire looked down when his phone buzzed and raised an eyebrow, snorting at the message his friend sent him.

 **PJ: a dog ate me keys pick me up the weird coffee shop next to the lady that sells those dead cacti**

 **PJ: stop laughing asshole before i kick you in you kneecaps**

 **PJ: rude**

"I gotta go," Damon stood up, putting his phone in his pocket and grabbing his jacket. "I have to pick up Percy, the idiot got his keys eaten by a dog."

Stefan's eyebrows shot up, "That's… Okay, yeah, tell him I'm sorry to hear that? What kind of dog was it?"

The eldest Salvatore shrugged, "No idea but it was probably a poodle knowing Percy."

* * *

Percy still kicked him in the kneecaps when he saw him and stole his leather jacket while he was at it. He climbed into Damon's car, ignoring his friend as he slipped on some shades and tried not to spill his cup of coffee as he re-adjusted himself to sit properly in the seat.

Damon just smirked at his friend, "Tough day?"

The teen just sipped his drink and flipped him off, "Ass."

The vampire laughed instead of being offended like anyone would expect him to be if they saw them interacting, "Wanna watch _Friends_ and eat Skittles?"

Percy pouted for a moment, " _Doctor Who_ and pudding? I've had a shitty week."

Damon's eyes softened and he nodded, "I'll make a copy for your keys tomorrow."

"Thank you," The teen slumped in his seat looking utterly exhausted despite it only being one in the afternoon. He burrowed his face in the jacket he stole and, somehow, managed to fall asleep in the seven minutes it took to drive to his apartment.

The vampire sighed and rolled his eyes in fond exasperation. After placing the car in park, he unbuckled his seatbelt (Percy made him start wearing one and the Salvatore found himself having a hard time saying no) and turned towards his friend, "PJ. PJ, get up. Come on, we're here."

"No," Percy grumbled, snuggling more into the jacket, pulling it around himself more. "Let me sleep."

"If I let you sleep in the car, you're going to complain about how your back hurts and I'll never hear the end of it."

The teen was silent for a moment, "... Carry me?"

Damon groaned but he couldn't keep the grin off his face, "You're such high maintenance. Fine, give me a second." He climbed out of the car and walked around to open Percy's door. He lifted his friend without any other warning, chucking at the small gasp he gave and how his hands shot out to grip the back of his shirt. He walked to Percy's apartment and held his friend up with one arm as he used his other arm to unlock the door, "I'll get the pudding. Set up _Doctor Who?_ "

"Yeah," Percy nodded, allowing himself to be set down before he made his way to his small disc collection. "Um, I only have season three… Sorry."

"Don't worry about it," Damon said, coming back with about five or six pudding cups and two spoons. "We'll just watch that, it's not big deal."

"Okay," The teen seemed to relax and at the words and he put in one of the discs from the case. He turned to his friend and marched over, sitting right next to him until he was a wall of warmth against the vampire, "Give me some pudding, please, Mr. Serial Killer."

Damon rolled his eyes at the name but handed him a pudding cup and spoon, "Shh, it's starting."

Halfway through the first episode, Percy fell asleep, his head leaning almost on the vampire's chest. Damon didn't move for a moment before he realized that he was running his hand through his friend's hair. He almost didn't want to leave but he also didn't want to deal with Stefan interrogating him on where he was, "Percy, Perce, I gotta go."

His friend made a soft snuffling noise before he opened his eyes blearily, his green eyes slowly looking around before focusing on him, "Okay. Oh," He looked down when he realized he was still wearing Damon's leather jacket. "... I'm not giving this back. I'll see you later?"

The vampire laughed at his friend's words, "Yeah, I'll see you later. Go to bed, I'll clean up before I leave."

"Grazie mille," Percy nodded, standing up and making his way to his small room. "I appreciate it." (Thanks a thousand)

"No problem," Damon turned off the TV and cleaned up the pudding cups before leaving, locking the door behind him. He was happy. Even though he still couldn't get his brother to feed or at least go hunting with him, he was happy because he got to spend time with his (best?) friend and it was pretty fun.

* * *

"What happened to your jacket?" Stefan asked when his brother returned.

Damon shrugged, moving to the bar to grab a drink, "It got stolen." He kind of wanted to laugh at his brother's expression.


	9. Chapter 9

"I swear to the gods, if I have to run a mile one more time-"

"Percy, calm down!" Jeremy and Matt we're holding the teen, who was practically foaming at the mouth, back from attacking their coach, "It's just running!"

"I do enough running!" Percy turned big pleading eyes to the coach and let his lip tremble, "Please let us go inside... I'm tired..."

Jeremy and Matt blinked in surprise when their coach couldn't resist the puppy eyes and announced that they were heading back to the classroom and, yes, Steven, that meant you did not have to do anymore burpees right now.

"How-" Matt looked at the class and then at Percy, who was happily following them while whistling, "What-"

Jeremy pat his back, "It's okay, man. You just have to learn not to question it. It happens more than you think."

"Come on, boys," Percy grinned wickedly, his green eyes gleaming in the sun. "Maybe I can get coach to let us out early."

The Gilbert gulped at the look on his face, "Just... Don't kill him, okay?" He could swear he saw the teen pout before nodding solemnly, like not killing their coach was something he was willing to sacrifice.

"Alright," Percy sighed. He muttered 'kill joy' under his breath before heading into the classroom, shouldering Stefan out of the way with a laugh.

"Are you going to let him treat you like that?" Matt asked the youngest Salvatore after the black-haired teen was out of sight.

He gave a weary nod, "Yeah..."

The Donovan blinked, "But... Why?"

"I can't do anything," Stefan waved his hand in the air as he spoke. "'Cause my brother would kill me."

* * *

"Nice jacket," Caroline said appreciatively as Percy sat with her, Bonnie, and Elena on the grass.

He raised an eyebrow and tugged at the bottom of the leather jacket, "Thanks."

"Is that..." Elena looked at him in shock, "Is that _Damon's_ jacket?"

"Mmhm," The green-eyed teen nodded, bringing his cup of coffee to his lips. "I stole it."

"You-" Bonnie shook her head, "Right. Okay."

"You should join a sports team," Caroline said to Percy out of nowhere after studying him for a few minutes.

He gave a sharp bark of laughter and shook his head, gesturing to the blonde with his fork, "Absolutely not. I have zero athletic bones in my body. I'm built for sleeping and consuming dangerous amounts of caffeine."

" _That_ I believe," Elena mumbled, looking at the two empty paper coffee cups next to him.

"Really?" Caroline gave a small pout, "There's not just football, you know."

He raised an eyebrow at her and ate a bite of his cafeteria chicken, making a face at the taste, "Like what?"

She tapped her chin in thought, "Mm, golf?" She shook her head, "No, that's not you. Basketball? Maybe... Swimming? No-"

"Swimming?" Percy raised his head so fast, his chicken nearly went up into the air, "We have a swim team?"

Bonnie nodded, finally speaking up, "Yeah but it's not much. I mean, you can join but we haven't won any of our competition."

"I wanna join," He nodded rapidly, choking down the cafeteria chicken, and stood up fast. "I'm going to go join now! Who do I talk to?"

"Um," Bonnie looked at him in surprise. "Coach, I think. I hope you make the team."

"Give me ten minutes," He smiled mischievously. "And I'll be on the team." He took off, grabbing a coffee cup from Jeremy, shouting his thanks. After about a day watching the teen practically inhale coffee, the youngest Gilbert seemed to appoint himself as Percy's unpaid caffeine grabber.

"Um," Jeremy looked at the girls with a questioning look. "What is he doing?"

They looked at each other before answering, "Joining the swim team. Apparently."

* * *

"Boom!" Percy grinned at girls as he walked back after seven minutes of being away, two coffee cups clutched in his hands. He alternated between drinking from them, crushing them after they were empty, "Guess who's part of the swim team?"

"They let you join?" Bonnie looked at him surprise, "How'd you get in so soon? I mean, don't you have to try out or something?"

"Probably," He pointed at her. "But I can be very persuasive. Anyways, I start swim practice tomorrow if any of you guys want to come, I don't really care."

"We'll be there," Caroline said fast before her best friends could speak. "You can count on that."

He smiled slowly and winked, "Perfect."

* * *

"What's got you so happy?" Damon asked as Percy climbed in the car.

"I, my favorite serial killer, am a proud member of Mystic Falls shitty swim team," He practically cackled, rubbing his hands together like a super villain. "I'm going to fuck shit up."

"I have no doubt," He nodded, pulling out of the school parking lot. "We're heading to my place. I got more whiskey today and we're going to get fucked up."

"Yes!" Percy punched the air, "Celebratory drinking!" He looked at the vampire, "Can I mess with Stefan?"

Damon snorted, "When do you not?"

"True, true," Percy tightened the jacket around him, a smug smile on his face. "He just makes it so easy. It's not even a challenge." He straightened up, badly imitating Stefan's voice, "'You shouldn't do that Percy.' 'Damon will kill you, Percy.' 'Stop drinking coffee, Percy, you're stomach lining can't take it.'"

The vampire busted out laughing, pulling up at his place, "My brother doesn't sound like that."

"No," Percy wagged a finger at him. "He totally does. C'mon, I have bad decisions I need to make and cake I need to steal."

"How'd you know I have cake?" Damon wondered, following after the teen as he walked to the front door.

"Pssh, I know everything, Day. Now, if you don't hurry up, the Brazilian Whiskey is mine." Percy laughed as the vampire chased him into the boarding house, rounding the corner and going up the stairs.

He didn't make it half way before he was caught.

"Alright," The green-eyed teen said breathlessly, putting a bracing hand on Damon's chest, grinning up at him. "You win."

Blue eyes bore into green before the vampire spoke, "I know."


	10. Chapter 10

"Day!"

Damon had the feeling that someone was poking him. He groaned, turning on his side and curling over his pillow. He gave a muffled protest when the poking continued.

"Day, I did not just break into your house for you to be asleep. Get your ass up, I made breakfast!"

"Breakfast?" The vampire sat up, blinking and using a hand to rub the sleep out of his eyes, "Wait, did you say you broke into my home?"

"Yeah," Percy waved him off. "Come on, get up! I'm not skipping school so I can watch you sleep, no matter how pretty you are. Get up!"

"Alright, alright," Damon pushed himself up on the bed, looking for a shirt. He mumbled a thanks when his best friend opened one of his drawers and handed him one. He didn't even want to ask how he knew where it was. "What's on the menu?"

"Pancakes and bacon," The teen said, walking out of the room. "And I bought some orange juice since no one bothered to buy any."

"Percy," Stefan blinked in surprise when he saw him in the boarding house but he really shouldn't have been shocked. The teen had a habit of popping in out of nowhere. "Do you need a ride to school? I was about to leave now."

"Nah, I'm good. I'm skipping today. I made breakfast, though, if you want to eat some before you go."

"Oh, thanks," The youngest Salvatore smiled. "Don't you have swim practice today?"

"Yeah, I'll be there for that," Percy promised. "But I really don't feel like dealing with math. Plus, I wanna hang out with Damon."

"You hang out with him everyday."

"I know. I can't just break that streak. Anyways, if you don't want to run into your brother, I suggest you get food and leave now. He's about to come down to the kitchen."

"Right," Stefan quickly went to the kitchen and grabbed a plate with two pancakes sans syrup. "Thanks again!"

Percy waved as he went with a smile. Once he left, his smile dropped, "Alright, I got your brother to leave. You can come out of your room now."

"Has anyone ever told you that you're the best?" Damon asked, giving him a cheeky grin.

The teen rolled his eyes, flicking his friend on the nose, "Just come eat your food before it gets cold."

The vampire wiggled his nose, looking down at it cross-eyed, before he nodded, "Okay. Did you make chocolate chip pancakes?"

Percy stopped walking, turning to narrow his eyes at Damon, "Did you _want_ chocolate chip pancakes?"

"Just one?" Damon held up a pointer finger, resisting the urge to laugh at his friend's expression.

The teen stared at him for a moment before nodding slowly, "Only one."

* * *

"Jeremy…" Aunt Jenna looked around the kitchen, eyeing the five thermos laying on the island with suspicion, "What're you doing?"

"Making coffee," The youngest Gilbert answered honestly, filling a thermos, a pink one, with some of the hot liquid.

"I… See that," She nodded slowly. " _Why_ are you making so much coffee? You just came back from school."

"It's not for me," Jeremy promised. He tilted his head, "Well, not all of it." He lifted up a small green thermos that was next to him, "This is mine. The rest is for my friend."

"Your friend?" Jenna tilted her head in similar fashion to the boy because she was pretty sure her nephew had never mentioned a friend before, at least not one he was willing to make anything for.

"Mmhm," He nodded, grabbing a blue thermos. This one was fairly large, big enough to be two cups of coffee in one. "Percy really likes coffee," Jeremy explained, carefully closing the metal cup. "So, I decided to bring him some after his swim practice."

Jenna was silent for a moment, "I'll help you then." She smiled at his surprised look, "I know there's no way you can carry all of these. Plus… I can meet your friend?"

Jeremy hesitated for a moment before giving her a small smile, "Okay. I think you'll really like him, he's pretty cool."

"Are we talking about Percy?" Elena asked as way of greeting when she walked in the house, setting down her bag on the couch before entering the kitchen.

Jenna raised an eyebrow when her niece didn't bat an eye at the amount of coffee on the counter. She looked at Jeremy in time to see him nod at her question. So, his name was Percy. That was good to know. "This Percy, how'd you two meet him?"

"He tutors me," Jeremy answered honestly, not ashamed to admit it. "In history."

"He's in my history class," Elena said. "He sits in front of me."

Their aunt turned to Jeremy, "He tutors you? What's your grade in history?" She was hoping that he would answer this question since he was in such a good mood. She was aware of his lack of study habits and his usage of drugs. She always felt terrible about not doing anything because she wasn't assertive enough. Sometimes she felt like she wasn't good enough to be taking care of the children.

Jeremy visibly brightened, "I have a B now!"

Jenna watched as a grin grew on her nephew's face and she felt her lips turn into a smile, "Jer, that's great! I'm so glad you're getting help in history!"

"Actually," He looked down at his shoes for a moment, suddenly shy. "It's not just history. On Fridays I get tutoring help. But it's not a big deal," He said quickly, focusing back on the coffee maker, which was, hopefully, brewing the last bit of coffee. It seemed so since he was filling up the last empty thermos they had in the house.

Jenna didn't say anything, knowing he didn't want to make a big deal about his new studying habits, but she couldn't help how big her smile had gotten. She had to meet Percy and thank him for a lot.


	11. Chapter 11

The moment Damon had entered the area, Percy had already dove cleanly into the pool with barely a splash. He could see Elena, Jeremy, the Gilbert's aunt, and Elena's friends by the pool watching the swimmers practice and contemplated joining them. He decided not to, going to the far end of the pool where swimmers were practicing their laps so he could watch Percy more clearly.

"And here I thought you weren't going to come to my first practice."

The vampire jerked in surprise at the voice and looked down to see Percy smiling up at him, his upper half resting on the edge of the pool. Damon's eyes flickered to where the diving board was, noting that it was near Elena, and wondered how the human had gotten to him so fast without him hearing anything. "Told you I'd be here."

"I know," Percy nodded, looking completely in his element as the water lapped around him calmly. "But you also said that while drooling over a chocolate chip pancake."

Damon didn't even bother pretending to be ashamed, "It was a good pancake."

The human rolled his eyes, "Whatever, doesn't beat blueberry pancakes." He glanced back when his coach blew his whistle and sighed, "Gotta start laps. Thanks for keeping me company today."

The vampire found it odd that he said that. He never thanked him before, he never had to. So, why was he thanking him now? "Of course." He spoke without thinking, "Anything for you."

Percy didn't say anything, giving Damon a pleased smile, before he sunk in the water like a stone, swimming fast under the water like he was a rocket.

"Did you just say what I think you did?" Stefan asked as he approached his brother with a smirk.

"Go away before I push you in the pool," Damon hissed childishly, glaring at the youngest Salvatore.

The brunette laughed and held his hands up in a platcating manner, "You're sounding more and more like Percy and I can't tell if it's a good thing or not. I was going to tell you that Caroline heard Percy on the phone during last period yesterday. She thinks he might have been talking with his family."

"Why are you telling me this?" Damon wondered, narrowing his eyes.

"Because the last time Percy looked pissed off, he went to you," Stefan said like it was obvious and he thought it really was. "And now he showed up at our place cooking breakfast, breakfast for you."

The eldest Salvatore tilted his head, "You seem to care an awfully lot about Percy."

Stefan rolled his eyes, "I'll admit he can be pretty cool but I still don't trust him. I'm still bothered by the fact that neither of us heard him come inside this morning."

Damon would admit, he had been thinking about that since Percy showed him the amount of pancakes he had made while waiting for him to wake up. There was no way Percy could get inside his home without him hearing the door open. His senses were just too alert to miss it. But that didn't mean that he did not trust Percy. He trusted him enough that it was a bit worrying.

"They're starting laps," Stefan said before walking off like he didn't just ignite Damon's suspicions about his best friend.

Damon looked over at his best friend just in time to see him dive into the pool with some of his teammates to do laps. Percy was fast, easily already faster than the others even though they just started. He was already at the end of his first lap by the time his teammates were halfway done with theirs. It didn't seem like he was tiring at all, though at times he slowed down like he didn't even realize the speed he was swimming at.

The vampire continued to watch, ignoring Elena and her friends' stares and whispers as they realized her was there. He didn't know what to think of Percy, after this morning, but… The human meant something to him, what it was he didn't know, but he decided to put his thoughts aside for now. It wasn't fair to Percy to have suspicions of him when Damon himself hadn't told him he was a vampire yet.

After practice was over, Percy stayed in the pool after everyone but Damon left. He did a few short laps and same to the bottom of the pool a couple times. The human broke the surface of the water again, running a hand through his hair. He looked over at Damon, green eyes shining brightly, and ducked under the water again.

Sooner than Damon thought, Percy was in front of him, leaning on the edge of the pool. The human gave him a curious look before grinning, "You going to stand there all day or are you going to get in?"

Damon blinked slowly, "I don't-" He stopped when his best friend nodded towards his stuff and looked over. Lying on top of his bag was a big fluffy towel and swimming trunks, "You planned for this, didn't you?"

Percy rolled his eyes, "Just go get changed, Salvatore. Everyone left already."

"Alright, alright," The vampire rolled his eyes and walked off to get changed, mumbling about how his best friend was so bossy. Damon sighed to himself as he put on his swimming trunks and took off his shirt. He didn't expect to be swimming today but the thought of getting in the water was too nice to resist.

Percy was waiting for him in the water, his eyes just barely peeking over. When Damon made eye contact with his friend, however, the human's eyes widened and he dropped like a stone in the pool. The vampire decided he wasn't having that and dived in the water, easily spotting the teen at the bottom of the pool looking like he was contemplating life.

Damon felt a grin make its way onto his face when Percy finally noticed him. He could've sworn he heard the human squeak under water. ' _Oh, no you don't.'_ The vampire thought as Percy made the motions like he was going to take off again. He swam quickly over to the human, grabbing him from around the waist, and shot up.

Percy sputtered in surprise at being dragged to the surface, giving the vampire an offended look, "Really?" He lightly splashed the Salvatore's face, at ease with being held up by the other.

Damon laughed and splashed him back before letting him go, watching the human flail his arms as he wasn't prepared to support himself.

"Rude," Percy pouted, crossing his arms and using his legs to keep himself above the surface. "I met Elena's aunt," He switched to using his arms to help him, making small circles with his limbs as he spoke. "She seems nice. She thanked me for helping Jeremy."

"Yeah?" Damon tilted his head, trying to remember when the teen had met the woman, but Percy continued.

"Yeah, before you showed up," Percy nodded. "Yup. I think I scared her, though, when I drank all of the coffee Jeremy made me before practice started."

The vampire chuckled, "She'll get used to it." He glanced towards the door and his eyes widened when he saw Alexia Branson, Stefan's best friend, standing by the door. He turned to Percy and smiled tightly, "How long can you hold your breath?"

Percy looked at the woman before studying Damon curiously. He dropped down underwater without a word, leaving the Salvatore's question unanswered.

Damon turned back to Lexi, who walked forward a bit, "What're you doing here?"

"Visiting Stefan," She answered, eyeing where Percy was with interest. "I thought i'd check and see how you were when your brother told me you were in town. I'm surprised, why are you hanging out with a human?"

The Salvatore glanced at Percy, who was watching him questioningly. Damon, for a moment, wondered why the human's mouth was open but focused his attention on Lexi when she continued.

"What're your plans for him?" She brushed her hair over her shoulder, raising an eyebrow, "Hmm? What game are you playing?"

"I'm not playing anything," Damon said. He had to hurry, Percy's lungs were probably screaming at him. "I don't have any plans. Leave me alone and go bother my brother."

Lexi narrowed her eyes at him, looking in the human's direction, before nodding, "I'll go but don't think I'm not watching you, Damon."

The Salvatore rolled his eyes and grabbed Percy's arm when she left, lifting the human up, "Are you okay?"

Percy nodded, breathing in air heavily. He gripped Damon's arm tightly, his hands shaking. The vampire almost thought that it might have been exhaustion when he saw the look in the human's eyes. Percy wasn't shaking because he was tired. He was shaking because he was… Excited?

"I'm not going to ask," Percy said, referring to Lexi. "Let's just go get something to eat."

"Okay," Damon nodded, pulling himself out of the pool before turning to help the human out.

Percy took his hand with a smile, his mouth parting slightly at the strength showed when he was easily lifted out. He went over to get his towel, tossing Damon's at him.

Damon caught it, bringing it up to his face wordlessly as he watched the human. He winced slightly when he saw the stitches on his stomach but the wound looked really good for something that happened a few days ago. In fact, it looked more like a scar than a recently healed cut.

"Stop staring at me," Percy said, towelling his hair. "You're making me blush."

That startled a laugh out of the vampire when it was said in monotone. He shook his head, drying his arms and chest as best as he could, "I hope we don't damage my seats."

"We won't," Percy promised, like he could ensure that the Salvatore's car seats wouldn't be messed up from the chlorine. "Now, are you paying for dinner or am I?"

Damon scoffed, rolling his eyes, "I always pay for dinner." He walked off, letting Percy catch up with him, and laid his towel down on his seat before getting in his car. He waited until Percy did the same and put on his seatbelt before pulling out of the parking lot.

"Stop by my place," Percy said, leaning back in the seat. "I wanna drop my stuff off and change."

"What, I'm supposed to eat dinner in swimming trunks?" Damon had accidently got his clothes wet with his towel and now it smelled a lot like chlorine.

The human sighed, "I _guess_ you can borrow some of my clothes." He looked the vampire up and down slowly, "We're… Close to the same size."

Damon raised an eyebrow and smirked, "Are we now?"

Percy hummed, studying his face for a moment, "Mm, maybe."

The vampire tilted his head curiously and went to say something but too soon did they arrive at Percy's apartment. The human was already out and walking towards the steps, waiting for Damon impatiently. For someone so lazy, the teen could move fast when he wanted to.

The human opened the door, leaving it open for Damon, and walked towards his room. He gestured for Damon to follow him, mumbling about how he was 'moving too slow for someone so damn fast.'

Damon quickly caught up with him and opened one of the human's drawers, grabbing a soft red shirt. He paused, holding the material in his hands. He didn't even realize that he knew which drawer the shirts were in until today. He thought it was so weird that Percy knew where his clothes were but he was the exact same.

"Here," Percy draped a pair of black jeans over the Salvatore's arm as he walked towards his bathroom. "I'll be out in five."

"Okay," The vampire nodded and changed quickly, using his own boxers instead of borrowing Percy's. That would have been… He tilted his head as he tried to find the word to finish his own thoughts. Awkward? That seemed to fit his train of thought. He sat on the teens bed, marvelling at how soft the blue comforter was. He should ask where he got it so he could get one for his own room.

"Ready," Percy leaned on the door, a small smirk on his face. He wore dark jeans and a blue V- neck shirt. On top of all of that was Damon's leather jacket, looking like it was meant to be on the human this whole time. Percy's smirk widened when the vampire didn't respond for a minute, "You okay there, Day?"

Damon cleared his throat, his voice a bit strangled, "I'm fine. Perfect. Let's go." He stood up, gripping his keys tightly, and ignored the human's coy smile.


	12. Chapter 12

"Percy's getting too close to Damon," Elena said, looking up at Stefan from where she was cuddled at his side.

"I know," He nodded. "But there's nothing I can do."

She turned towards him, eyebrows furrowed, "Why not? You can take Percy easily if he tries anything."

Stefan shook his head, trying not to shudder, "I can't, Elena. I can't do anything about it."

* * *

"I will cut you," Percy said, pointing at Damon with a sharp knife when the vampire tried to steal some chocolate chips.

"But chocolate…" Damon didn't usually pout but he turned it on full force and even brought out the puppy eyes.

The human's stern expression slowly faded into amused irritation and he rolled his eyes, filling a small bowl with chocolate chips before sliding it towards the Salvatore, "Only that. Mrs. Lockwood asked me if I could bake some cookies for her party since Ms. Blake is on her honeymoon. I want to make sure we have enough for everyone there."

Damon tilted his head, doing the math in his head, and slowly brought a chocolate chip to his lips, "That's… A lot of cookies. Where did you even get the money for all the ingredients?"

Percy paused for a moment, setting down a mixing bowl, "I asked my dad for some money." He shrugged, "He sent me enough for two weeks. is amazing."

"Two weeks?" Damon blinked in surprise, "Is your dad rich?"

"Eh," The human shrugged. "I guess he is. He's… Out there."

"Would I know him if I saw him?"

Percy tilted his head, "As my father? Most definitely. As anything else? …Probably not. I don't know, you're smart so anything can happen."

Damon nodded, accepting the answer (and the compliment), "Okay. Anything I can do to help?"

The teen looked around his small kitchen, the counters covered in flour and baking supplies, "I might need you to go to the store for some more butter."

"Sure," The Salvatore stood up, grabbing his keys.

"Thanks!" Percy beamed at the vampire, a fondness in his features that made the green of his eyes shine brightly. His blue apron was covered in flour and bits of egg yolk, and his hair had a tint of white to it from the sugar that went flying everywhere after the teen struggled to open the packaging. He looked bright and happy as he mixed cookie dough, sneaking bits for himself to eat and occasionally giving some to Damon.

Damon blinked and his voice sounded a bit strangled when he spoke, "Of course." What was wrong with him? He must have spaced or something. He walked to the door of Percy's apartment, only turning back once to watch how his best friend hummed along to music coming quietly from his phone while swaying his hips lightly.

* * *

"Damon?" Bonnie blinked in surprise at the vampire, who was glaring at the assortment of butters in Mystic Falls' small grocery store. "What are you doing here?" She didn't like Damon, couldn't stand him, but he looked like he would physically explode if she didn't do something.

The Salvatore turned blue eyes on the witch, his mouth pinched in a thin line, "Percy asked me to get butter." He spoke slowly, like he was thinking carefully about what he was saying, "But I don't know what kind."

The woman nodded, "Why don't you call him and ask what he needs?"

"He's listening to music," Damon shrugged before turning back to the butters, tilting his head this way and that.

"I… See… That's, uh, considerate of you," She stepped forward, keeping a few feet between herself and the vampire (not that it would do much but it made her feel a bit safe to know he wasn't within normal arms reach). "This butter's pretty cheap," She said, picking up one her grandmother used before. "And there's a lot here."

Damon was hesitant to take it, like Bonnie was the homicidal one, "...Thanks."

"I don't trust you," Bonnie said, letting the vampire grab the butter. "But Percy does… So… Don't hurt him, okay? He's… Different."

In a quick second, Damon's eyes turned cold, "I don't plan to." He sauntered off towards the registers, eagered to get away from someone else who wanted to give him the shovel talk about someone he wasn't even dating.

The vampire sighed with relief when he was back in Percy's apartment, feeling himself relax and his muscles lose the tenseness he didn't know they gained. "Here," He set the butter on the counter, taking his seat on the barstool once more. "Ran into Bonnie at the store."

Percy froze before turning to Damon, hand tight on his spatula. His smile seemed forced despite the cheeriness in his voice, "Did you now?"

Damon nodded slowly, "Yeah, she helped me get butter. And then she told me not to hurt you."

The human snorted at the last part, shaking his head like the thought of Bonnie giving him the shovel talk amused him. "It's funny that she thinks you can hurt me." He shook his head, going back to carefully mixing the dough and chuckling occasionally.

"I could, you know," The Salvatore pointed out, raising an eyebrow.

Percy started at him for a moment before he bursted out laughing, covering his face as it turned red, one arm going around his stomach, "Oh, my gods- I- don't, you're gonna make me pee myself."

Damon blinked in surprise before slowly chuckling with him. Percy's laughter was contagious and the vampire could feel his mood get lighter, "Can I have a cookie?"

"I- Sure," Percy's shoulders shook still even as his chuckles died down and he handed him one.

While the vampire was curious, he felt like his best friend's good mood would be ruined if he asked why it was blue.

* * *

"Hey."

Percy looked up from where he was doing his school work on the bleachers to see the blonde from the pool sitting next to him. He narrowed his eyes, "Do I know you?"

"No but Stefan's my best friend and his birthday's in a few days," Lexi smiled. "I was wondering if you wanted to come to the party."

The teen stared at her with a blank expression, something that unnerved her a bit because she couldn't tell what he was feeling at all, "I'll… Think about it. Can I bring Damon?"

She blinked, "Why would you bring Damon?"

Her question made the human's mood sour almost instantly, taking her by surprise, "Why _wouldn't_ I bring Damon?"

Lexi felt herself tensing up despite the fact that she was a vampire and he was a mere human. Something about the tone he used and the way he held himself gave her the feeling that she was in the presence of a predator and that, if she didn't watch her step, he'd lunge at her. She chose her next words carefully, "I was just wondering. Of course you can bring Damon."

"Good," Percy beamed at her, the tense atmosphere leaving, and he turned back to his homework like he didn't just subtly threaten her with his tone.

"Right," She nodded, quickly stepping off the bleachers. She had to talk to Stefan, something wasn't right with this human. She had to tell her best friend because, if he was anything dangerous, she'd have to put him down.

* * *

"So," Percy banged open the door to the Salvatore boarding house, knowing that Damon was the only one present at the moment, and stole the vampire's glass of scotch. "You're coming with me to Stefan's birthday party because I am not dealing with your brother and his friends by myself."

Damon blinked down at his hand before looking up, "Okay… Do we have to stay for the whole thing or can we just drop something off and leave?"

The human sipped from the glass, humming as he thought, "We should at least stay for the cake." He nodded, "Yes. Cake is important."

The vampire found himself agreeing, "Cake _is_ important. Fine but I'm not mingling."

"I didn't expect you to," Percy flopped next to the Salvatore on the couch. He patted the man's thigh before pointing at the tv, "Put something on, I'm bored."

Damon rolled his eyes and reached for the remote, "Yes, your highness."

Percy just made a pleased noise, snuggling into the vampire's side.

After a few minutes of flipping through channels, Damon looked down at his best friend, "Do you have to attend the Lockwood party or can you just drop off the cookies?"

The human looked up at him with a coy smile, "Why? Planning to take me out somewhere?"

"Maybe," Damon shrugged, careful not to jostle the teen.

Percy sighed, "Unfortunately, yes. Mrs. Lockwood feels that it's important people know that I baked them and that I am now a part of this town, or something. Where were you planning on taking me?"

"A drive-in movie theater," The vampire said flippantly. "I figured we could see what they were playing and get some popcorn or something."

The human groaned, hiding his face in the blue-eyed man's side, "That sounds perfect. Why do I have to be a nice person?"

"I wouldn't say you're a nice person," Damon hummed, smirking when the teen looked up at him. "A people-pleaser, maybe, but not a nice person."

"Those are the same thing," Percy said, poking his side.

"No," The vampire shook his head, running his hand through the teen's hair and lightly scratching his scalp. "I assure you, darling, they're very much different."

* * *

Stefan didn't know how it happened but Percy had managed to find him through the crowd at the Lockwood party and corner him in a room the second he stepped inside. He figured this was the Jackson Effect that Jeremy warned him about.

"Am I a good person?" The human demanded to know. He didn't seem insecure about it, just wondering. He looked stressed out, like he was asking this question all night, and it made Stefan wonder if he cornered other people before he got to him.

"Um," Stefan scratched his head, wondering how he could get out of this without getting throttled by a (maybe) homicidal human. "Not exactly? You're more of a people-pleaser."

"What?!" Percy gave a shriek that vaguely reminded the vampire of a pterodactyl and disappeared from the room before the Salvatore could fully comprehend what was happening.

When Stefan walked back into the party, Elena walked over to him, a sympathetic smile on her face, "Percy found you, huh?"

"He asked if he was a good person," The vampire muttered, eyebrows pinched together.

She nodded, "Yeah, he asked me too. When I told him no, he asked what he was. I didn't expect him to scream when I called him a people-pleaser. I guess everyone's been calling him that."

"I don't know how he found me," Stefan said, feeling a bit scared. He looked out at the party and he couldn't even hope to find Percy in the sea of people.

"I think," Elena licked her lips, her face full of worry. "I think he just… _Knows."_

"I don't like that. I don't like that at all."

* * *

Percy barged into his apartment, not even reacting when he saw Damon sitting in his living room on the phone. He threw his suit jacket on the back of the couch, grumbling as he balanced on one leg so he could take off his shoes. "People-pleaser," He grumbled. "I'm not a people-pleaser!"

Damon slowly put down his phone, "Percy, why is Stefan telling me the Jackson Effect occurred at the Lockwood party?"

" _I'm not a people pleaser!"_


	13. Chapter 13

"If you were going to kill someone," Percy started as a greeting, looking down at his phone as he made his way over to Damon. "What would you do with the body after? I'm asking for a friend."

Damon tilted his head at the question, mulling it over, "You could burn it, get rid of as much evidence as possible. It'll smell horrible, though."

Percy nodded, typing something out on his phone. "What if they don't have anything to start a fire?"

"Depending on the location, you can make it look like an animal attack. Just don't leave behind the murder weapon or fingerprints, obviously."

"Right," The human finished his text before pocketing his phone and dropping down next to the vampire. "Thanks."

"What friend was this?" Damon asked as he lifted up his arm so the other could cuddle at his side.

"Just a dude working through some issues," Percy shrugged. "Asked for advice. Don't know if he was serious or not but, eh."

Damon nodded in understanding, "I hope he doesn't get caught."

The teen snorted, shaking his head. His eyes flashed as he smirked, "He won't."

* * *

"Damon!" Stefan stormed over to his brother, holding a newspaper tightly. He showed him the front page, "Why did you do it?"

"I-" Damon furrowed his eyebrows, reading the short caption about a gruesome animal attack, and pointed at it, "That wasn't me."

"What?" Stefan looked down at it with a frown, "It has to be. Who else would make a murder look like an animal attack?"

The eldest Salvatore paused, his lips just barely brushing the rim of his glass, "Uh…"

Stefan's expression turned weary and he rubbed his face, "I'm going to believe the papers this time, okay? I cannot handle the idea of Percy actually murdering someone. I'll have nightmares."

The eldest Salvatore blinked, looking at the newspaper his brother left behind. This was… Interesting.

* * *

"Absolutely not," Percy said as he folded laundry after taking a glance at the paper. "I don't kill hikers."

Damon nodded, putting the newspaper aside so he could grab a sweater, "Right. You got anything planned this weekend?"

The human slowly lowered a pair of pants, a frown set on his face, "Unfortunately. My dad wants me to visit, something about not seeing me in a long time- blah, blah, blah. I wasn't really listening."

"Where does he live?"

"New York," Percy grabbed a small stack of towels, putting them in the hallway closet before coming back. "I fly out in two days."

"Two days?" Damon sighed, folding another sweater, "I guess we're just going to have to hang out even more now."

"Day, we're together almost all the time. The only time we're not is-" The human gasped dramatically, "Wanna have a sleepover? We can watch movies and order pizza and make a pillow fort. Or something."

The vampire felt a smile grow on his lips at the sight of his best friend's happiness and found himself nodding. There wasn't anything he wouldn't do for the human. And that thought doesn't even worry him, concern doesn't even register in his mind in the face of someone that could accept him so well and compliment him like they were meant to be by his side.

"Awesome," Percy gave him a lopsided grin before working on putting away his clothes, grabbing the sweaters Damon had folded for him. He flopped down on the bed next to the vampire, rolling on his side so that his head was pillowed on the Salvatore's side, "I don't want to see my dad."

Damon ran a hand through his friend's hair, a small smile on his face when he heard the human give a soft sound of content, "Why not? Is he mean?"

"No," Percy shook his head lightly, almost sounding defeated. "Just… Forgetful."

"Has he ever forgotten you?" The vampire sighed when the human only shrugged, "I don't know how anyone could forget you," He confessed, scratching the teen's scalp lightly. "You're kind of unforgettable."

* * *

"Hey, Percy," Jeremy placed a cup of coffee at his friend's elbow where the older teen was doing homework at the bleachers. "Aunt Jenna wants to know if you want to come over for dinner."

Percy looked up from his history work, tilting his head in thought, "Damon and I were going to hangout. I'm heading to my dad's for the weekend."

"Oh," The Gilbert sat down, careful not to knock down any of the books or papers. He took out his lunch box, handing the teen a sandwich Aunt Jenna had made and labeled specifically for Percy. "I can ask, see if Damon can come too. I mean, if that's okay with both of you, obviously. You don't have to come tonight."

Percy didn't respond for a moment, looking down at the plastic label on the sandwich with a soft and almost sad smile. Finally, he looked at Jeremy, "I'll call Damon and ask. I'll give you an answer after school, okay?"

"Cool," Jeremy nodded, standing up. He could see Vicki at the edge of the field. Maybe he could talk to her, ask her how she'd been.

The teen watched him leave before pulling out his phone, "Apparently Jenna invited me to dinner tonight. How much do you wanna bet Stefan will be there?"

" _Dinner's great and all,"_ Damon said, not sounding bothered by the fact that his best friend didn't even say hello. " _But what about movie night?"_

"We can still have that," Percy promised, using one hand to start putting his papers away in his bag. Lunch was almost over and he didn't want to risk detention by being late for class. "I was going to ask, though, if you wanted to come with me to the dinner."

" _Oh, sure. I'm not gonna pass up on free food."_

"Perfect. I'll tell Jeremy. See you soon, Day."

" _Of course, PJ. See you."_

When Percy hung up, he felt someone staring at him and looked up. Across the field stood Elena, hair curled around her shoulders and a curious smile on her lips. He should wave, he should smile. Any kind, normal person would do that. But Percy couldn't stem down the deep rage that curled around his bones, around his heart. If he could, he'd kill her and he didn't know why.

* * *

"Dinner would be great, Jer Bear," Percy grinned at Jeremy, throwing an arm around his shoulders. He winked at Stefan before he turned to Elena. He gently tugged on a strand of her hair, "You should curl your hair sometime. I think you'd look great."

"I thought about it," Elena said, running a hand through her hair and missing Stefan's look of alarm. "You think it'd look good?"

"Trust me," Percy nodded, shaking Jeremy because he could. "I have it on good authority that you'd look stunning. He looked at the Salvatore, who looked like he swallowed a lemon, Stefan, you okay?"

The vampire took a deep breath, offering the human a tight smile, "I'm fine. Are we heading over to your place now?" He directed the question at his girlfriend.

Elena nodded, "Yeah, is Damon meeting us there?"

"Yup," Percy said, ruffling Jeremy's hair before letting the boy go. "I thought I'd spend some quality time with Jer Bear before I eventually stir the pot. It's like a default setting of mine."

* * *

"Ms. Jenna," Percy walked inside the house, taking a deep breath. "The food already smells wonderful."

"Thank you," The woman smiled, trying to calm her nerves. She wasn't really confident in her cooking skills. "Call me Jenna, please. Where's Damon?" Despite only talking to the boy for a short period of time, she knew that wherever Percy was, Damon was soon to follow.

"Just arrived," The human pointed at the door where he could hear his best friend's car. "Would you invite him in, please, Jeremy?" Percy smiled at the teen, "I'm going to help Jenna here in the kitchen."

Jeremy nodded, heading towards the door and moving past Stefan, who stared at Percy with suspicion. The Gilbert gave the Salvatore an odd look but went over to where Damon was waiting.

"Stefan," Percy made a shooing motion with his hands towards the vampire. "Go sit at the table, you're an eyesore."

"You don't have to help me," Jenna said but handed the teen a platter to take to the table.

"I insist," He grinned, making his way over to where Stefan, Elena, Damon, and Jeremy was seated. He took his own seat when he realized that Jenna was bringing the last of the food. He couldn't help but notice how his chair was across from Damon and couldn't help but be thankful that Jenna seemed to realize how close they were.

Damon had to admit, the food was really good. He didn't know why Jenna was so nervous, it was delicious. She should really have more confidence in herself. He took a bite of mac and cheese, nearly melting at the taste, and was determined to get the recipe for it.

Stefan was tense, he didn't know how he felt being so close to Percy and Damon. He still didn't know if Percy caused that murder or if it really was just an animal attack. He almost felt like warning his brother away from the human instead of the other way around. For as much as Percy remained peaceful in his actions, his words would very much be considered a dagger to the heart with how vicious they could be.

However, Stefan could see the softer side of the human that no one really got to see. No one except Damon, that is. He could see the way Percy was looking at Damon now, how the teen looked at his brother with such a soft look, it was almost impossible to put him with the biting human he talked with in the forest. He didn't even think Percy was paying attention to the conversations around him or even his food, what with how his mashed potatoes slipped off his spoon and he didn't even bat an eye.

Stefan didn't even think his brother even knew what this human would do for him. The youngest Salvatore knew, deep inside, that if anyone so much as harmed Damon, it wasn't the vampire they had to worry about but the human by his side. It was the way Percy held himself, even now, like he was ready to spring up and fight. He looked deceptively calm, draped over the table like a cat with his elbow up and his head cushioned by his fist, but Stefan felt like he was in the room with a predator. It almost felt like he was humoring him, watching him in thinly veiled amusement like he was a dog yipping at his feet.

"You okay?" Elena put a hand on his arm, eyes full of worry.

"Yeah," Stefan exhaled shakily. He didn't even realize how unnerved he was until now, how on edge he was. "Yeah, I'm fine." He tried not to shudder when he met Percy's eyes.


	14. Chapter 14

There was something different about Percy, Damon knew, and it wasn't just the fact that the human was strangely morally ambiguous for someone his age. Whenever someone talked about the dead hiker in the woods, Percy took on this calculating look, like he was analyzing people's reactions and responding accordingly. He always seemed alert, ready for anything, but only around other people. Whenever it was only Percy and him, the human would just sigh like he was exhaling all of the tension he felt in other people's presence.

"I don't like people," Percy mumbled from his spot next to Damon, the teen snuggled at the vampire's side, listening as he read a book. The teen had gotten his best friend to start the Harry Potter series, saying that it was actually pretty interesting and well thought out and that he would really like it. The vampire didn't want to admit that the human was right and that he was enjoying himself quite a bit.

Damon paused, looking at the page number before closing his book, "Why not?"

"Because," The teen licked his lip, thinking about how to answer. "Because, not only are they stupid as shit, they always expect you to be a certain way. They build this image of you, their own perfect picture, and expect you to mold yourself to that. It's like… They show you a puzzle of the sky and tell you to complete it but you're the piece that belongs to a picture of the sea. It doesn't fit but they figure it might if they force it enough."

The vampire was silent for a moment after hearing the hate and helplessness in the human's voice, "Well… I like this version of you."

"I-" Percy's face slowly turned red and he turned his head away, "Me, too. I- Yeah, me too."

Damon gave the human a small smile and went to go back to his book when he saw Percy staring off into space. "Alright, move over," The vampire nudged him to the side before standing up, disappearing down one of the halls of the boarding house. He quickly went into his room and grabbed his pillows and blankets. After a split second moment of hesitation, he grabbed Stefan's too.

"What-" Percy's question was cut off when the vampire threw the blankets on top of him.

"We're going to make a pillow fort or whatever," Damon smirked when he saw the teen's ruffled hair. "And make chocolate milk."

The human beamed at him, untangling himself from the blankets so they could start. The fort ended up looking a little wonky, pillows placed precariously, and it looked like it would fall at any moment but they were still proud of it.

"Powder or syrup?" Damon asked as he held up the chocolate while Percy got the cups and milk.

The teen narrowed his eyes at the syrup, "I don't trust Nesquik chocolate syrup. You either put too much or put too little. There's no in between."

The vampire blinked at the objects in his hands before nodding, "Alright, powder it is."

Percy slid over a red mug to Damon, keeping the blue one for himself. While Damon only added two scoops, the human felt the need to add five to his own. "What? I like chocolate," He said when he saw the vampire's look.

Damon held up his hands in mock surrender, "Fair enough. Any snack ideas?"

"Mm," Percy grabbed the Nesquik to put away and opened the pantry. "You got Cheetos? Since when do you like Cheetos?"

The vampire shrugged, "They're my favorite. You didn't know this?"

"No but I do now," The human grinned, handing him the giant bag. He grabbed his drink and crawled into the fort, holding out his hands for Damon's drink so he didn't spill it. "I got Netflix on my phone if you want to watch some movies."

"Sure," The blue-eyed man nodded. "Anything you want."

Percy looked at him for a second before fiddling with his phone, "Be careful what you promise. You'll get my hopes up. Hurry up, I wanna get some cuddling time before Stefan sees me here and kick up a fuss. He already hates me enough."

"He doesn't hate you," Damon said after he got settled in the fort, taking back his drink. "You just… Scare him."

The human smiled at him with amusement, some different type of glee dancing in his eyes, "He should be. I'm dangerous."

The vampire nodded slowly, "Say that when we're not cuddling in a blanket fort drinking chocolate milk and I just might believe you."

"Psh, whatever. Wanna watch Twilight?"

"No."

"Aw, why not?"

"Absolutely not." Damon narrowed his eyes at the human when he saw his finger hovering over the movie title, "Percy-"

"Too late! Come on, it'll be funny. I've always found these movies funny, please watch it?"

"Why?" Damon was very aware that he was whining but he didn't care. He read the description about vampires and an idiotic woman and decided he would nope out of this. He wondered if this was Percy telling him that he knew about him being a vampire or if he was just trying to slowly torture him. Maybe both, one could never know when it came to Percy.

"Because I want to. Why don't you want to watch it?"

"Vampires aren't real."

Percy squinted at him before clicking the title, "Your reason is stupid and, therefore, your argument invalid. Now, shut up and hand over the Cheetos."

"I thought my reasoning was very sound," Damon said, handing over the snack. "You have no proof that vampires exist."

"Don't I?" The human laughed, shaking his head, "You don't know everything about me, Salvatore."

"And yet…" Damon whispered, watching as the teen opened the Cheetos bag, scrambling to catch them as they flew out suddenly. "You seem to know everything about me…"

"You say something?" Percy asked after throwing a cheeto up in the air and catching it in his mouth.

"Do I really have to watch the movie?"

"Oh, my gods, for the last time, _yes._ You can't live your whole life without seeing these shitty masterpieces."

* * *

"That was horrible," Damon shuddered when the end credits started.

Percy pointed at him with a Cheeto, "Yet you want to watch the next one." He threw the food at the Salvatore and watched it bounce harmlessly off his chest. "Are you done with your chocolate milk?"

"Yeah," Damon handed him his cup and held the blanket aside so the teen could get out.

" _Damon,"_ Stefan stood at the hallway, eyes wide, occasionally glancing towards the kitchen. His voice was dropped to a low whisper, " _Why is he here?"_

" _He's staying over before he leaves to his dad's tomorrow. Why are you hiding?"_ Damon whispered back, eyebrows raised.

" _Jackson Effect,"_ The youngest Salvatore said, hiding his body more in the hallway entrance like just saying the name scared him.

"Talking about me?" Percy was practically standing next to Stefan as he leaned against the doorway of the kitchen two feet away.

Stefan stiffened and gave the human a strained smile, "Just asking when you were leaving to your dad's. Tomorrow's so soon."

"Is it?" Percy raised an eyebrow at him, something almost dark in his eyes.

Damon could see Percy's fists clenched tight where they were hidden under his arms and decided to intervene, "Percy, come on. We have to watch the second movie."

The human didn't move for a moment, looking at Stefan for a moment with an unreadable expression, before making his way towards Damon, "I knew you wanted to watch the second one. Can't hide anything from me, Salvatore."

"I'm beginning to see that," Damon nodded, ducking back in the pillow fort before his little brother thought to ask about it. He didn't think he would, at least not when Percy was in the same house as him.

Percy smirked at the vampire, something dark and wicked hidden behind his lips, "It's about time."


	15. Chapter 15

"Can I go home?"

Poseidon sighed for what felt like the hundredth time in five minutes as he and his son walked through his palace, "You just got here, Percy."

"Yeah," The teen nodded like it was obvious, putting his hands in his leather jacket. The god didn't even know he owned one. "And I'm done. I'm ready to leave. It was nice seeing you, padre, but I have things to take care of in Mystic Falls."

The god stopped, his shoulders dropping slightly for a moment, and turned towards the teen, "Why do you insist on being like this, Perseus? When do you plan on letting it _go?_ "

"Careful, Poseidon," Percy's eyes darkened and his voice took on a cold tone. "I'd tread lightly if I were you."

Poseidon hummed before continuing on his way, "Do you at least plan on visiting Camp Half Blood?"

"No," Percy rolled his shoulders, ignoring some of his father's subject that tried to get his attention. "Not yet. Look, was there a reason you wanted me to visit? Like I said, I have things to take care of. I don't have time to entertain whatever you have planned for me."

"Not even me?"

Percy froze at the voice, body immediately tensing. He plastered a smile on his face as he turned even as his body hummed with something akin to rage, "Hello, Athena." He tilted his head as he took in the goddess, "Why are you here? This is not your place."

"Yes, as much as it pains me to be here," The goddess looked at one of the columns in the room with disdain. "This was the only way for me to speak with you."

The teen gritted his teeth and looked over at his father, "What is this? Did you even _want_ to see me?"

"I did- I _do_ , Perseus, but you can't keep running away from this. Perseus-"

"For the last time, it's _Percy_ ," Percy growled, hands clenching into fists inside his jacket pockets. "And I refuse to speak to _her_ , so kindly _fuck off!_ " He walked past Athena, forcefully shaking off her hand when she tried to grab his arm. "I guess I could visit some people since I'm in New York already."

* * *

"Correct me if I'm wrong," Elena started quietly from where she was with her boyfriend on the couch. "But is Damon sulking?"

"Yeah," Stefan nodded, ignoring his brother's glare. "Percy's still in New York with his dad so now Damon's lonely."

Damon scoffed and rolled his eyes, downing the rest of his bourbon in his glass, "I'm not lonely. You all just suck."

The youngest Salvatore rolled his eyes, "Very mature. Isn't Percy coming back tomorrow?"

The blue-eyed vampire shrugged, "Probably. He might come back early though, he doesn't seem to be on good terms with his father."

"Why?" Elena wondered, looking at Damon as he poured more alcohol into his glass.

"None of your business," Damon said coldly, barely sparing her a glance as he walked to his room. "Man, has Mystic Falls always been this boring?"

* * *

"And that's how I befriended a vampire," Percy told his mother as he sat upside down on her couch.

"Sit correctly," Sally said, swatting at her son's legs with a dish towel. "Is he nice?"

The demigod swung his legs down, adjusting his body so he was upright, "Yeah, he's pretty. And nice. Pretty nice."

The woman shook her head, rolling her eyes, "Tell me about him?"

Percy followed her into the kitchen, grinning widely. He waved at Paul, who was typing something on his laptop, before starting, "Well, his name's Damon Salvatore and, like I said, he and his brother are vampires. I think Elena, Stefan's girlfriend or whatever, is something too but I don't think she's a vampire. I dunno, I just get a weird vibe from her. Anyways, Damon's actually a lot like me, which is _amazing_."

"Morally ambiguous with a flair for dramatics?" Paul drawled, not even glancing up from his work.

The teen snapped his fingers, "Yes! Exactly that. Oh, and we have movie nights, like, every night and go to cafes and diners. It's so cool."

"Sounds like you two are dating," Sally chuckled, putting a plate of blue cookies on the counter by her son.

Percy sighed and grabbed a cookie, biting into it, "I _wish_. For someone who's lived a really long time, he's really oblivious. I mean, I've been very obvious. I've outright flirted with him and everything! What am I doing _wrong_?"

"This sounds like one of my books," Sally hummed, breaking off a piece of a cookie for herself. She left the kitchen for a moment only to come back with a novel in hand called _Peter_. There was no mistaking the fact that the background was the pansexual flag.

 **(A/N: Sorry for the interruption but the book** _ **Peter**_ **is an actual idea of mine for a book I plan on publishing, so... Yeah. Also, anything described about** _ **Peter**_ **is not definite. It could change over time so don't get excited or anything. Carry on)**

"Mom, did you make a book about the LGBTQ+ community?" Percy asked, staring at the book while reaching for another cookie with awe.

The woman shrugged, a smile on her face, "When you came out to me, it occurred to me that there are so many people that are scared about coming out or even just their sexuality. I thought I'd write something for them. Anyways, Peter is a teenager that is struggling with the idea of being a pansexual and coming out to his parents. He falls in love with a classmate of his who seems to be oblivious to his flirting. Here," She handed him the book. "Read page 119 and look at what he does about it."

Percy held onto the novel for a second, running his fingers slowly over the cover. He had to swallow back a build up of emotions when he saw that it was dedicated to him. He carefully turned the pages until he got to the right one, concentrating on the words. He grinned widely when he finally finished the paragraph, closing the book softly, "This is perfect!"

Sally shook her head when he tried to hand the book back to her, "Keep it. I meant to send it to you earlier when you got to Mystic Falls. I've just been so busy, I guess I forgot."

"Thank you," Percy said quietly, feeling tears line his eyes as he clutched the book close to his chest.

"Oh, honey," Sally walked over to her son and pulled him into a hug. "I love you no matter who you choose to date, even if they're a vampire. You're my little boy, I wouldn't change you for anything. Well, you could be taller..."

The demigod gave a watery laugh, wiping at his eyes, "I'm a perfect height, thanks. This- This is so cool," He looked down at the book once again, tracing over the large letters.

"If you couldn't tell, you're Peter," Paul said, sipping from a cup of tea, warmth in his eyes.

"Wait-" Percy focused on the name before he rolled his eyes, " _Really?_ Peter Johnson?"

Sally chuckled, packaging up some blue cookies, "I thought it was funny. Here, give these to Damon and tell him to visit some time. I'd really like to get to know him."

"You got it," Percy winked before giving Paul a hug and kissing his mother on the cheek. "I'll visit again for Christmas."

"Thanksgiving and I'll finally get you a customized stocking," Paul countered, a grin on his face.

The demigod gave him finger guns, "Deal!"

* * *

Damon was only half heartedly listening as Stefan, Elena, Caroline, and Bonnie talked about some upcoming dance happening at their school. He didn't care, seeing as he didn't feel like crashing the dance if Percy wasn't going to be there to terrorize Stefan with him.

"Are you even listening?" Caroline asked the vampire, raising an eyebrow.

"No," Damon answered honestly, leaning back on the couch in the Boarding House.

She huffed, putting her hands on her hips, "Come on, you have to remember this stuff for Percy."

The vampire rolled his eyes and opened his mouth to answer when he got a text message.

 **PJ: i'm back. come get me b4 i kill someone**

"You can tell him about the dance yourself," Damon stood up, grabbing his keys. "He just got back. I gotta go get him before he does the bad part of the Jackson Effect."

"Wait, there's two parts of the Jackson Effect?" Stefan asked, eyes widened a bit.

"Yeah," Damon shrugged. "There's the one where he brings someone to another room without you knowing," He gestures towards his brother to show that it was the one he experienced. "And then there's, well," He tilted his head, trying to find a way to explain the bad part. "It's essentially murder. I guess."

" _Murder_?" Bonnie's eyebrows shot up in shock, "Are you saying that Percy murdered someone before?"

The vampire tilted his head, "...No. I actually have no idea if he's murdered anyone or not. I'm just saying that the bad part of the Jackson Effect could be murder. People just go... Missing."

"Why don't we let Damon go get Percy, yeah?" Stefan laughed nervously, shuddering internally at the thought of the Jackson Effect. "We wouldn't want to annoy Percy."

The women looked at each other before nodding. Annoying Percy would not be ideal.

* * *

"About time," Percy rolled his eyes, sliding into the passenger seat of Damon's vehicle. "I thought I'd have to steal a car or something."

"Whatever," Damon grinned at the teen before handing him a cup of coffee. "How was your trip?"

Percy took a sip of the drink before sighing, "Ugh, _terrible_. I got to see my mom though, so that was nice. Oh, yeah, she told me to give you these cookies and to have you visit her so she can meet you."

The vampire glanced over at him in surprise before actually putting the key in the ignition, "When should I go?"

The human fiddled with his seatbelt for a minute before he looked over at him, "Would you- Would you come with me on Thanksgiving? I mean, it's okay if you don't want to but-"

"Sure," Damon grinned a little at how nervous the teen sounded. "I have no plans for Thanksgiving."

Percy smiled brightly at the vampire before leaning across the seat to kiss his cheek, "You're the best, Day."


	16. Chapter 16

**Hey, to the person aRTsyisAwesome, you asked for writing tips and I would love to help as much as I can. Could you please PM so that I an able to, my account won't let me, lol**

* * *

When Percy kissed Damon on the cheek in the car, the vampire was shocked. Sure, he knew that something similar would happen at some point (whether it was the teen that made the move or him) but he wasn't prepared for it to happen so soon. Usually he wouldn't care about anything like that, he would just accept it in stride with a smirk and a wink, but this was his best friend. Percy was the only one who accepted him for how he was and didn't try to make him 'better' or 'nicer.' It was... It was good.

And, so, when the teen gave him the peck on the cheek, Damon made the obvious choice to turn the car back off and pull the human into a real kiss.

Obviously.

Percy had made a happy noise in the back of his throat as he smiled into the kiss, whispering a small "finally" when they pulled apart for a moment. The human looked at him with his sea-green eyes, a smirk on his face that never failed to get Damon all worked up, "You don't know how long I've been waiting for this."

"Shut up," Damon replied. "And just kiss me already."

"With pleasure," Percy hummed, putting a hand on the side of the vampire's head and kissing him almost hungrily. With one hand, he unbuckled his seatbelt and practically crawled into Damon's lap, who opened his eyes to take in the view of the human that stole all of his attention and time, the person that was on his thoughts nearly every minute of every hour.

"Careful," Percy leaned back to lick his lips, an eyebrow raised at the vampire as he smirked. "Keep looking at me like that and you're going to get me excited."

A smile curled Damon's lips and he gave the human a bruising kiss, "Good."

* * *

Stefan's day was going fairly normal the day he was attacked by Percy Jackson.

He was talking with Elena about the upcoming dance at their school, the girl wondering what color dress would suit her skin tone while also complimenting Stefan. Elena had gone in one of the dressing rooms in the small shop they had found when the vampire felt as if someone was watching him.

Before Stefan could react, a voice spoke low by his ear. "Stefan, Stefan, Stefan," Percy purred, wrapping an arm around the vampire's shoulder. "I have something to talk to you about, if you don't mind."

"Uh," Usually Stefan wouldn't let any human affect him, seeing as he was more powerful than them. He wouldn't be afraid of them or what they might do to him, but there was always something dangerous in the teen's gaze, something that was almost predatory in a way that reminded Stefan of wolf eyeing a deer. Everything seemed to be a game to Percy, like he was just playing it and anyone in his way was a disposable character. "I have to- Elena's trying on dresses..."

"I'm sure she wouldn't mind if I borrowed you for a few minutes," Percy smiled sweetly, eyes glinting in the artificial light of the shop. He tilted his head towards the dressing room, "Right, Elena?"

"Right," Elena said nervously, clutching a sunflower yellow dress to her chest. "O-Only for a few minutes though, we're having dinner after this."

Percy nodded from the other side of the curtain, "Of course. I'll bring your boyfriend back in one piece."

Stefan allowed himself to be pulled away, not wanting to experience the Jackson Effect again. The things one saw during that period could give someone shell shock. "What do you need to talk about?"

"Look, I'm going to be real with you," Percy put his hands in his (stolen) leather jacket pockets. "I don't like you, and I know you don't like me." He held up a hand when Stefan tried to speak, "Don't deny it, I could care less either way. I just thought I'd warn you that weird things have been happening lately and it'll probably only get worse from here."

"What kind of things?" The youngest Salvatore asked worriedly, slightly concerned as to how the human noticed anything significantly weird going on since he and his brother worked hard to cover anything they did up.

Percy shrugged, "Weird things."

Stefan groaned, "I hate it when you're vague."

The sea-green eyed teen smirked, "I know. I really don't know much about what's going on, just that some people are... Off. Not like me off but off off. If you get what I mean," He waved a hand as if to dismiss everything he just said. "Anyways, Damon won't be home tonight... Or tomorrow. We have... Business to take care of."

"Just say you're leaving to have sex," Stefan rolled his eyes. "It sounds weird when you say 'business to take care of.'"

Percy scoffed, "Damon and I are going to have wild, probably unsafe, sex at my apartment. Don't expect him home any time soon."

"You know what, I think I preferred 'business to take care of' more."

"Thought so. Anyways, ta ta!"

* * *

Damon woke up the next morning to Percy running a finger in a circle on his chest and he felt a smile grow on his face, "Morning."

Percy looked up at him and his eyes softened as he pecked him on the lips, "Morning. I would say we have about two hours before Stefan calls me complaining about the cryptic messages I've been sending him for the past three nights at 2:00 a.m. How do you want to spend it?"

The vampire smirked and sat up, the blankets pooling around his waist as he ran a hand through his hair. He gave the teen a dark look while wetting his lips with a flick of his tongue. "Well," He drawled slowly. "I could think of a few things."

The human's eyes raked up and down his body and he nodded rapidly, "Urm, yes. Let's- Yes. I wanna do that. Many times."

Damon laughed at the blush growing on the teen's face. He didn't even think he had the ability to blush with how he acted all the time but it was good to know that he was wrong. He crawled over the human, looking down at him with hungry eyes, "You're beautiful."

Percy looked up at him through his lashes, a wicked smile playing on his face. His hair was fanned across the pillow and his lips were already cherry-red and kiss swollen, "Kiss me like you mean it, Day."

The vampire didn't need to be told twice as he leaned down to capture his smile, humming with pleasure when the human bit his lip as he tugged on his hair with one hand and used the other one to run a hand down the side of Damon's torso. Damon let one of his thumbs run gently over the human's collar bone. Every time he ran his finger over his pulse point, Percy would make a needy sound in the back of his throat that did things to the vampire.

Later he would find out it was because Percy had a craving for danger and Damon was oh so enticing.


	17. Chapter 17

When Damon woke up again, Percy was next to him laying on his stomach, one of his arms laying across the vampire's torso. The human stirred at Damon's movement and turned his head to blink sleepily at him.

"Go get breakfast," Percy mumbled, shifting so he was in a more comfortable position. "I forgot to go grocery shopping."

"Do I have to?"

The human made a sound similar to a growl as he face planted into his pillow, "Yes. Go. I want donuts."

Damon sighed and got up, grabbing his pants from the floor and his wallet from on top of the teen's dresser, "Fine but you buy breakfast next time."

"Whatever," Percy snuggled into his pillow more, waving halfheartedly as the vampire left, making sure to lock the front door behind him.

It felt like the human had just closed his eyes when he heard the sound of breaking glass from somewhere inside his kitchen. He estimated that he had about ten second before he probably should do something about it. Well, he figured that, if someone was in his apartment, they would come for him. Percy was right when, a few minutes later, his bedroom door nearly came off as someone barged in, saying something nonsensical that he could care less about.

Percy's eyes snapped open when the person came closer to him and he was moving before he was even fully awake. He flipped onto his back, Riptide already out and pointed at the man's throat as he glared at him, "What do you want?"

The man bared fangs and tried to reach for the human without stabbing himself in the throat with the celestial bronze sword, "Demigod..."

Percy's eyes narrowed at the vampire, "How do you know what I am?"

"I can smell you," The man licked his lips. "Your blood will be tasty."

The demigod rolled his eyes, "I kinda have an attachment to it, so... No. I think I'll just kill you now, if you don't mind."

"Even if you kill me," The man growled, furrowing his eyebrows as he glared at the teen. "More will come. A powerful being hiding in a small town never ends well for anyone..."

"Shut up," Percy was on his feet, the vampire's head rolling by the bottom of his dresser. "What do you know?" He tilted his head at the body and bit his lip, "Good thing I don't have carpet... How should I get rid of this though? If I show Damon this then he'll be all pissy that I didn't wait for him before killing him..." Percy tapped his foot in thought before he smiled, "Hmm... I do know someone who owes me a favor..."

* * *

"You have to stop calling me to get rid of bodies," Nico growled as he appeared out of the shadows in his cousin's room.

Percy shrugged, "Hey, at least this one's dead this time."

Nico sighed and shook his head, "Small mercies. What's this one, a witch?"

"Nah, the hiker was a witch. This one's a vampire. He said something about more coming for me but I'm not worried about it."

The son of Hades nodded, "Yeah, if they can't deal with the Salvatores, there's no way they could deal with you."

"You flatter," Percy waved his cousin off like a blushing maiden. "Anyways, what've you been up to? Still helping your dad at his house?"

"Yeah," Nico groaned. "He still has me on paperwork duty."

The son of Poseidon grinned, cleaning up some of the blood on his dresser, "That, dear cousin, is exactly why I quit."

"You didn't work for Poseidon," Nico decided to point out. "You're his son- which, sorry. No offense, but your dad has been an asshole lately."

"I _know_ ," Percy whined, chucking the napkin in his small blue plastic trashcan by the door. "Why can't Hades be my father? He's cool!"

Nico waved his hand and the body of the vampire was dragged into the shadow by dark hands, "Don't let my father hear you, you'll give him nightmares."

The green-eyed teen tilted his head, "You're probably right about that. Now, go away. It was good seeing you but my boyfriend's gonna be here soon with donuts!"

Nico laughed, "I knew you were dating the vampire! Dad owes me ten bucks!"

"You are fired from being my cousin, leave my sight!"

"That's not how family works, cuz," Nico flipped him off before walking backwards into the shadows and leaving back to the Underworld.

Percy rolled his eyes before looking around at the area. Once he deemed it clean enough, he proceeded to crawl back into his bed to wait for Damon to return with donuts.

* * *

The first thing that hit Damon when he opened the door to the apartment was the scent of blood.

And McDonalds.

But blood.

"Percy?" He called.

"Donuts?" Came the reply.

"Yeah, I got the donuts, Justin had them out fresh this morning. I got, like, seventeen glazed," He figures that he didn't have to hurry or anything to his boyfriend since he immediately asked for food. He looked down when he stepped on something and raised his eyebrows when he saw broken glass. Taking a look around, he noticed that the window above the kitchen sink was broken, like someone broke inside, "Everything okay?"

"Do you want a real answer or a fake one? 'Cause I got both."

Damon opened the bedroom door and raised an eyebrow at his boyfriend, who sat up when he heard his voice, "How about telling me why there's blood on your shirt?"

Percy looked down at his shirt and opened his mouth slightly in surprise, "Okay, well, my cousin came over and insulted me so I got defensive."

The Salvatore just stared.

"And I may have stabbed something," The teen tilted his head. "Or someone. But that's not important. What's important is donuts."

Damon chuckled, handing over the box with a couple of napkins, "What was the name of this person you may or may not have stabbed?"

"I dunno," Percy shrugged. "Jameson something something, I don't really care. Why?"

The vampire shrugged, "Just curious. Last person I 'stabbed,'" He made air quotes with his fingers. "Was named Todd so I was just curious if Todd was a normal name among murder victims."

"Probably not," Percy bit into one of the donuts, groaning in delight. "These are so good. Todd is more like a middle name. Like Michael Todd or something. I'd kill someone called Michael Todd."

"He does sound killable," Damon nodded, reaching over for a donut. "Anyways, change out of that shirt, the girls wanna talk to you about the dance coming up at your school or something. They said you'd know fashion."

"Just because I'm a type of gay doesn't mean I'm good at fashion. That's a stereotype."

"But are you good at it?"

"Of course I am," Percy scoffed, laying down on his bed and putting a napkin on his chest so he could use his body as a table.

"With how you eat, it's a wonder you stay in shape," Damon chuckled.

"I have a few extra curricular activities," The human winked before practically cackling as he inhaled another donut.

* * *

"Ew," Percy screwed his nose up when Caroline and Elena came out of the dressing room at the same time. He crossed his legs and leaned his elbows on his thighs, wrinkling his nose at them, "Who picked your outfits?"

"We picked our own," Elena said, looking down at her puffy red dress.

"It shows. Red is not your color. And, Caroline, sweetie, if you so much as touch the color green again I will physically fight you. While I have no doubt that you both will look stunning in those style dresses," He referred to Elena's ball gown styled dress and Caroline's tight long dress. "I have a better idea that makes me want to vomit less."

"Go ahead," Caroline gestured to the long racks of dresses in the shop.

"Sir, would you like some help?" One of the store workers asked nervously, fiddling with their hands.

"No, I'm gay, I know what I'm doing."

The employee practically swooned.

Caroline and Elena shared a look before giggling, quickly changing out of their dresses so they could follow Percy, who took off down an aisle with a determined look.


	18. Chapter 18

Percy was sitting on a chair waiting for the girls to come out of the dressing room when his phone rang. He looked down and grinned wickedly, "What's up, Death Breath?"

" _Something doesn't make sense,"_ Nico started, sounding confused. " _If that dude was a vampire, how did he get in? You didn't invite him in."_

The demigod hummed, his eyes flashing in the artificial light, "Who said I didn't invite him in? It's been getting boring here in Mystic Falls," He sighed. "I just thought I'd speed things along, you know?"

There was a pause on the other line, " _How did you invite him in?_ _When_ _did you invite him?"_

Percy threw his arm over the back of his chair, crossing his legs, "He wanted power… So, I gave him power."

" _You- You were the one to change him into a vampire?!"_

"I told you," He chuckled. "I was getting bored. In any case, he was going to die anyways. Escaped convict on death row? No one would miss him. Too bad he came back to me, he could have lived forever."

" _...You really_ _have_ _changed…"_

"I'll talk to you later, cousin," Percy smiled. "I'm a bit busy now. Tell Uncle I said hi, yeah?"

" _Yeah, sure. Bye, Perce."_

He hung up, grinning as Elena and Caroline came out, "Perfect! Now, _those_ are dresses."

Caroline smiled nervously as she came out in a stunning blue dress that fanned out around her ankles. The top half around her chest was a pale blue and, as it went down, it blended into a darker blue. It was simple, yet also beautiful, and suited her complexion well and went with her eyes.

Elena wore a long red dress with a slit up the left side stopping a few inches below her hip. It well with her tan skin and dark hair, making her brown eyes look even more brown. It didn't look like much at first glance but, when she moved, the red seemed to almost shimmer around her legs like dark rivers of fire.

"Don't you think these are a bit much?" Caroline asked, holding the bottom of her dress in a gentle grip.

"Nah," Percy stood up, stretching his arms over his head. "Too late anyways, I already paid for them."

The two girls blanched at him, "You did _what_?!"

He waved them off, looking around the shop almost in boredom, "Don't worry, some people owed me favors. Anyways, now that you have your dresses, I'm going on a date with my hot boyfriend, not that any of you would know what that's like."

"Come on and you were being so nice," Caroline whined good naturedly, walking back to the dressing room. "Have fun on your date," She winked.

Percy grinned, "Oh, I plan to. Anyways, just take the dresses to the counter and tell them it was already paid for by Neptune. It's my, um, bank name or whatever. Pretty stupid but yeah." He didn't bother speaking to the girls anymore as he left the shop, waving to one of the employees.

Damon was already parked outside waiting for him and the vampire leaned over to kiss his boyfriend when the human got settled. "We need to talk about the blood in your apartment," He murmured against his lips.

"Later," Percy promised. "Right now we have a lunch date, and later I have to get Stefan's birthday present."

The vampire raised an eyebrow, "You're getting my brother a present?"

The human tilted his head this way and that, "...Yeah. He'll hate it."

Damon grinned, "I'm sure he will. Now, how do you feel about Italian?"

"Ugh, you are a blessing, Damon Salvatore. Italian sounds amazing," He sunk in the passenger seat, tugging his jacket around him as he looked out the window. He was using one of his hands to play with Damon's fingers, rubbing his thumb gently over the back of the vampire's hand.

The Salvatore couldn't help but smile softly at his boyfriend because the human had yet to go a day without wearing the leather jacket he let him steal. It didn't surprise him because, if he was being honest, the dark t-shirt he was wearing was the human's. It had his scent; his cologne, dark and deep, and something else that was salty and sweet and utterly him.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Percy asked as he turned towards him, a smile curving his lips.

Damon spoke before he even realized it, "I love you."

"Oh," The human's mouth dropped open slightly before his eyes softened and he clutched the vampire's hand a bit tighter, bringing it up to his lips. "I love you, too, Damon Salvatore."

Despite the fact that he said it first, he couldn't help but feel a warmth in his chest at his boyfriend's words. No one had ever professed their love for him before, never even got close enough. He didn't even have friends before, his eccentric personality and morally ambiguous activities driving people away, and, yet, he had managed to find someone who was both his best friend and his love. If he didn't approach the human at that terrible party, well… He thought he would have been quite lonely.

Damon wasn't stupid, he knew that his boyfriend was hiding secrets from him. There were times when Percy would get phone calls and he would answer with a dark grin, speaking too fast in Greek for him to fully comprehend, seeing as he was still a beginner at the language. Other times, Percy would look at him with a knowing look and made small comments that others would brush off as coincidence that Damon took as more than that. If it happened less often he probably would have brushed it off too but the human made too many sly comments about blood and control for it to be simply coincidence.

And then there was that term; human. It didn't quite roll off the tongue for Damon in regards to his boyfriend. There were too many odd factors in play; Percy's understanding of fighting, his complete ease with the idea of death, even the way he danced around Damon like he didn't think he could touch him but found the idea amusing anyways. Still, the Salvatore didn't know what word to describe him. Percy was a mix between human and something otherworldly.

Before Damon knew it, they had arrived at the small Italian restaurant the vampire had managed to find tucked in a corner of Mystic Falls. It wasn't fancy by any means but the staff were nice and the front of the shop had large windows that overlooked the trees that were beginning to turn a pretty orange with the seasons.

"I like it," Percy hummed as he looked around the restaurant, taking in the nice black seats and the smooth oak table tops. "Kinda homey."

"Good," The vampire said, a bit relieved.

The two ordered their drinks first, looking over the small menu as they made small talk about the upcoming dance at the human's school and what Percy might get the youngest Salvatore for his birthday. It was easy and simple, neither feeling like the had to fill the silence when it settled on them occasionally.

"What're you thinking about getting?" Damon wondered, leaning his chin on his hand as he propped his elbow up. He had gone to the restaurant before he had met the human and had enjoyed their alfredo very much.

"Well, I hate seafood so there goes that," Percy hummed, turning the menu over. "Maybe I'll have the macaroni. I haven't had that in a while."

The vampire nodded, "Good choice, it tastes good."

The human closed his menu, setting it on top of Damon's, "We can share. You can have half of my macaroni and I can have half of whatever you're having, provided it's not seafood related."

"Mm, no, just alfredo. Never really got into seafood. Why don't you like it?"

Percy shuddered and looked at him with wide eyes, "Have you seen their eyes? They're begging for help!"

Before Damon could respond, one of the waiters had come up to their table, lightly clearing their throat with an apologetic smile. "Sorry," He said, holding up his notepad. "I was just wondering if you were ready to order. I can come back in a bit if you want to finish up… Whatever it is you were talking about."

Percy seemed to snap out of the strange mood he was in as he shook his head, "No, yeah, we're ready."

"Perfect, what'll it be?"

Soon enough after ordering, their food came and it was amazing. Percy was practically hunched over his plate as he ate, groaning about he might just have to marry his macaroni and if Damon doesn't give him some of his alfredo he is sleeping on the couch tonight. Damon obediently handed over part of his food, making sure to grab his half of the macaroni before it was sucked into the human vacuum that went by Percy Jackson.

The human was slurping from his triple chocolate milkshake when he checked the time on his phone, "Aw, man, it's already seven? We've been here over four hours!"

"Seriously?" Damon raised his eyebrows in surprise, "Huh, I didn't even notice. You wanna head to the store to get Stefan his gift?"

Percy tilted his head, "Nah, I can get it another time. When's the party anyway? Do you know?"

"Nope. Probably next week, you should ask Elena. She'll know."

"Ugh, I hate talking to that girl. She's too… Emotional for my tastes. It's like walking into a soap opera every time she's in the room."

Damon nodded, "You have a point. Ask Caroline then, or even Jeremy. Jeremy's your helper or whatever, isn't he?"

"Yes and I prefer the term minion for him. Yeah, I'll just ask him then. What are you going to do about Stefan, though?"

"What do you mean?"

Percy snorted, "You can't tell me you've seriously haven't noticed that he's been following you around lately." He directed a glare out the window and watched as a figure flinched before running down the streets away from them, "It's beginning to get annoying."

"Trust me," Damon sighed, stirring his vanilla milkshake with a straw. "I've noticed. I don't really know what to do, too many options. Too many messy ones."

"I have a solution."

"Thank goodness."

"It involves fire."

"Absolutely not."

Percy pouted, taking a small sip of his heart attack, "At least hear me out."

"I haven't known you for too long," Damon said, pointing at the human with his straw and getting a few drops of the cold drink on the table. "But I've learned not to trust you with anything flammable. Or sharp." He squinted at the look in his boyfriend's eyes, "Or anything sharp that's on fire."

"Fine, whatever," He rolled his eyes. "Then you're doing something weird and I guess it's bothering Stefan. I, personally, could care less about his feelings but if you do not do something about his irritating presence, I will."

The vampire sighed, "Got it. I promise I'll put my brother in his place before you can kill him. Don't give me that look, I bet your idea of a friendly talk is to stab them without even actually getting to the conversation part."

"I would do it gently!"

"Case in point."


	19. Chapter 19

It wasn't rare for Damon to wake up before Percy. His boyfriend was, without a doubt, _not_ a morning person. The teen would grumble and curse his name even while cuddling closer to him and wrapping an arm possessively around his waist. Percy, despite his sharp tongue and cool demeanor, loved to cuddle with Damon and lavish him with affectionate nicknames. He was a completely different person when he was with Damon and the vampire was completely and truly in love with the human.

During the weekends, when he waited for his boyfriend to wake up, Damon took to doing some stretches and sit ups and push ups before he had to end up making coffee. He wasn't ignorant to the fact that Percy had ordered a pull up bar for him online and put it at the entrance of the hall. He also wasn't ignorant to the fact that Percy would have a perfect view of him from the bedroom.

"What the hell are you doing?"

Damon looked up from where he was doing push ups and couldn't help the fond smile that made its way onto his face. His boyfriend was only in a pair of boxers and one of the vampire's own shirts and the human was squinting at him through a haze of sleep. "Working out."

"But it's," Percy looked over at the kitchen to look at the clock on the stove. "Really fucking early in the morning. Come back to bed." He pouted when his boyfriend seemed to hesitate, "Please, Day? It's cold without you."

The vampire shook his head fondly before standing up, "But I'm all sweaty."

"Barely," The human poked his chest. "Take your shirt off if it really bothers you and cuddle with me. After, you can have the first shower."

Damon shook his head and kissed the man softly, "No, you can have the first shower. I'll make you some coffee."

Percy sighed in contentment, standing on the tips of his toes a bit to kiss the vampire more firmly, "You're made for me."

Despite the fact that his boyfriend said that at least once a day, Damon never got tired of hearing it fall from the human's lips. The vampire couldn't remember the last time he dated someone. He couldn't remember the last time he laid with someone and woke up in the morning, complimenting them and kissing them, and actually _meant_ it. His feelings for the human only grew more and more as his boyfriend led them back to the bedroom for a few more minutes of cuddling.

"I mean it," Percy said softly when he rested his head on Damon's shoulder, his fingers lightly tracing circles on the vampire's bare chest. "You're _mine._ "

"You're so possessive," Damon laughed even as he pulled the human closer to him.

"I want everyone to remember it." The green-eyed teen wasn't shy to admit it. "I want everyone to know not to cross us."

The vampire grinned, "They wouldn't dare." He kissed his boyfriend's forehead, "We would tear them apart."

* * *

When Percy woke up again it was to an empty bed. It was times like those, where he felt content to cuddle and be cuddled, that he hated that his boyfriend was a morning person and that he was _not_. He wanted to spend mornings with Damon, mornings where they woke up together and he was able to see his boyfriend's smile, mornings where _Percy_ could make Damon breakfast for once. He knew he wouldn't be able to, not unless he set an alarm for himself, and he wasn't sure if he even really wanted to go _that_ far.

He did. He really, really did.

Percy groaned and flopped gracelessly out of bed, grabbing some clothes from his bedroom drawers, before stumbling over to the bathroom so he could shower. Damon was in the living room doing even _more_ sit ups and push ups and, not for the first time, Percy wondered if he was dating an alien instead of a vampire.

As the demigod stood under the warm spray of the shower, his lips curled up in a smirk as he thought about how oblivious his boyfriend and his boyfriend's brother could be. There were only so many hints he could drop before he was practically screaming "I KNOW YOU'RE VAMPIRES" in their faces. Although, that would be entertaining. He couldn't tell them yet, however, because even though he had a rocky relationship with the gods, he was still in contact with the demigods. There was more at stake than just two vampires and a demigod horribly in love with one of them.

Percy sighed and turned off the water, grabbing his towel and drying himself as much as possible, before putting on his clothes. If he was being honest, he didn't think any of the clothes he was wearing were his own. Percy and Damon were close from day one and the demigod wasn't even sure where he started and Damon ended anymore.

He put the towel over his head, not bothering to try and hand dry it, and went back to his room to grab his phone. Damon was _still_ doing push ups in the living room but Percy could smell coffee brewing so he could forgive his boyfriend for being a weirdo.

"Let's get McDonald's for breakfast," Percy said as he sat on Damon's back. He grinned when he saw the vampire's arms shake in surprise at the sudden weight. He scrolled through his tumblr account _saltyandgay_ and hummed happily at the number of notes some of his three am rants got. The general topic of them were about the hot people surrounding him in Mystic Falls but now the subject changed to his boyfriend and how unfairly pretty he was. Occasionally, he would text his friends.

"Get off," Damon grunted, still continuing with his push ups anyway. "Your coffee's ready."

Percy sighed dramatically and got up, walking towards the kitchen, "So, yes or no to McDonald's?"

"We don't have a McDonald's around here."

The demigod made a face at that, pouring himself a large cup of coffee, "That doesn't sound right. What're we going to have for breakfast now?"

Damon got up, making his way over to the kitchen, "It's actually lunch time now. We can go to the diner a block or two away. You know, the one that thinks you're a part of the mafia."

"Mm," Percy nodded. "Yeah, we can go there."

"Why didn't you ever tell them you're not a part of the mafia?"

The demigod shrugged and internally smirked, "'Cause they're not _entirely_ wrong."

Percy watched as his boyfriend froze for a moment and wanted to cackle when the vampire just nodded slowly. "That explains so much," Damon said, preparing a cup of coffee for himself as well. "I'm going to shower and then we can head to the diner."

"Sweet," Percy grinned. "Hurry up, though, I'm starving."

"Yes, your highness."

"Oh, I like the sound of that."

* * *

"It took a bit," Percy started as he leaned his elbow on the table they were sharing in the diner. "But I finally got Stefan's birthday gift."

Damon raised an eyebrow, "What is it?"

The human made a 'tsk tsk' noise, "I can't tell you. You might tell Stefan or something and that would ruin the surprise. Let's just say that they won't be missing it."

The vampire pouted, "That sounds ominous. Don't you have swim practice today?"

"Oh, yeah, I forgot that was a thing. What's today? Saturday, right? It's at three o'clock."

Damon looked down at his phone, "It's two forty. Come on, let's go get your stuff."

Percy shoveled his food in his mouth and swallowed it before speaking, "Fine but only because I feel like I'll finally get to drown someone today."


End file.
